Unregistered Animagi!
by FadingSlowly
Summary: COMPLETE Gasp! Lily Evans has found out the Marauders' biggest secret! And she most definitely will tell, unless a certain someone can convince her not to . . . JPLE
1. badum

Unregistered Animagi  
  
A/N: this chapter takes place in fifth year! It's from the fifth book in the chapter "Snape's Worst Memory" and I've redone it from James's point of view, instead of Harry's b/c Harry is nonexistant in this story. Why did I put it in? Because it's necessary to remind everyone of just how much lily despises james, that's why!  
  
So enjoy!  
  
Chapter One – Ba-dum  
  
James Potter grinned inwardly. He had spent all of last night cramming for his O.W.L.s and he had actually done all right for himself. He put down his quill, and pulled his roll of parchment toward him to read again what he had written.  
  
'Yeah, it's fine,' he thought to himself as he yawned. Smiling inwardly, he took one hand and rumpled his hair, so it wouldn't appear too neat. James was not a neat, orderly bookworm, and he never had any intention of making people think it was so. Glancing quickly at Professor Flitwick, who had just walked past behind him, he turned toward his best friend, Sirius Black, and smiled again.  
  
Sirius grinned back at him, and gave him a thumbs-up. 'See, I told Moony cramming works fine,' James thought, lazily, as he eyed his other best friend, Remus Lupin. Remus was staring at his test as though hoping it would jump up and finish itself. James shook his head, and turned back around. Moony was way too serious about things sometimes.  
  
James took out a piece of scrap parchment, lifted up his pen, and began to doodle, not really paying attention to what he was doing. His mind was wandering, and so was his gaze. A queasy feeling erupted in his stomach as his eyes fell on a girl sitting across from him and a few seats down. That gorgeous red hair and those mesmerizing jungle-green eyes had plagued his dreams for the last three years. Somehow, between the summer of first and second year, Lily Evans had become beautiful.  
  
Breaking his gaze, he looked down at his paper and resisted the urge to flinch. Was Lily now controlling his subconscious, too? He had drawn a golden snitch, which represented his position on the Griffindor Quidditch Team as Seeker. That was fine. But, right beside it, he was tracing her initials: L.E.  
  
"Quills down, please!" Professor Flitwick's squeak brought him out of his daze. "That means you too, Stebbins! Please remain seated while I collect your parchment! Accio!" The parchments all flew toward Flitwick, and knocked him over.  
  
James was one of the few who burst out laughing. In the midst of this, he glanced over at Lily and blanched when he saw her glaring at him. He looked around in confusion. No way was he the only one laughing! But, she was staring at him like he was. 'What's her problem?' James thought feeling a little pissed. He looked back down at his parchment, and saw that the L.E. was still there. 'No way,' he told himself, as he quickly crossed it out.  
  
Flitwick said something about leaving, and James jumped up. He grabbed the parchment, his quill, and the exam question paper, and stuffed them into his bag. Then, he slung the bag over his back and stood waiting for Sirius to catch up with him. Remus was walking with Sirius, and unfortunately, Peter Pettigrew had caught up with them, too. It wasn't that James had anything against Peter; he just didn't trust him.  
  
"Did you like question ten, Moony?" Sirius was asking as they caught up to James, and walked into the entrance hall.  
  
"Loved it," Remus said, flashing them a smile. "'Give five signs that identify the werewolf.' Excellent question."  
  
James maintained a serious expression. "D'you think you managed to get all the signs?" he asked.  
  
"Think I did," Remus replied, mirroring James' serious face. "One: He's sitting on my chair. Two: He's wearing my clothes. Three: His name's Remus Lupin...'" Everyone laughed at that, except Peter.  
  
The reason they all laughed was because it was true. Remus Lupin really was a werewolf. With special arrangements made by Professor Dumbledore (and James, Sirius, and Peter), he was safe enough at Hogwarts and people were safe enough around him.  
  
"I got the snout shape, the pupils of the eyes, and the tufted tail," Peter suddenly said, "but I couldn't think what else – "  
  
James sighed impatiently. "How thick are you, Wormtail?" he said, using Peter's nickname. "You run round with a werewolf once a month – "  
  
"Keep your voice down," Remus said, hastily.  
  
James looked up at him, thinking. 'He's right. I could've easily let the secret slip.' The secret James was referring to was the fact that he, Sirius, and Peter were unregistered animagi. They had each mastered the art to turn into a certain animal that could protect them from Remus. What they had done was illegal, no doubt, but this way, Remus wouldn't be lonely every month when the moon was full...  
  
Steadily, they moved outside towards their favorite place on the grounds to lounge – an old beech tree that had excellent shade, and an excellent view. They all sat down, and he sneaked a quick glance in the direction of laughter. A group of girls, including Lily, was sitting over by the lake.  
  
"Well, I thought that paper was a piece of cake," James heard Sirius say. Absorbed in watching Lily, he hadn't noticed that his friends had been talking about the O.W.L.'s the whole time.  
  
"Me too," he replied, joining back in the conversation. He suddenly felt a wriggling in his pocket, and reaching in, pulled out a forgotten snitch.  
  
"Where'd you get that?" Sirius asked.  
  
"Nicked it," James said, casually. He let go of the snitch, watched it fly up for a second, then jumped up and caught it. He kept doing this as a test to his reflexes. As soon as he realized that Wormtail was watching him, he started showing off.  
  
Soon, though, he grew bored with Wormtail's little gasps, and started throwing little glances in Lily's direction. Feeling that his hair was growing too tidy, he rumpled it up again. After about five minutes, James was getting frustrated with the fact that every girl by the lake seemed to be watching him, except Lily.  
  
"Put that away, will you?" Sirius finally said. "Before Wormtail wets himself from excitement."  
  
James grinned, as Wormtail turned slightly pink. 'Well,' he said, directing his thoughts toward Lily, 'As least someone was paying attention.'  
  
"If it bothers you," James said. He caught the snitch and put it back in his pocket.  
  
"I'm bored," Sirius said, knocking the hair out of one of his eyes. He cast a sly glance at Remus. "Wish it was full moon."  
  
"You might," Remus said, darkly, in a voice that said clearly, but I'm glad it's not He closed his Transfiguration book. "We've still got Transfiguration, if you're bored you could test me.... Here." He attempted to hand the book to Sirius, but Sirius snorted.  
  
"I don't need to look at that rubbish, I know it all."  
  
James smiled. 'Yeah,' he thought. 'And we could always cram again.' His wandering gaze suddenly fell on something, or rather someone, interesting enough to bother. "This'll liven you up, Padfoot," James said in a low voice. "Look who it is...."  
  
Sirius's head turned at James's words. He faint sinister smile appeared and disappeared quickly on his face. "Excellent," he said in the same low voice. "Snivellus." It was James and Sirius's nickname for Severus Snape. Snivellus was an annoying, slimy, disgusting person that James and Sirius got a kick out of teasing. It was another reason Lily seemed to hate him...  
  
Snivellus was on the move, so quickly, Severus and James stood up to head him off. "All right, Snivellus?" James said, loudly.  
  
Snivellus suddenly dropped his bag, and dug his hand into his robes for his wand. He had just opened his mouth when James cut him off yelling, "EXPELLIARMUS!" Snape's wand flew twelve feet in the air and landed in the grass behind him somewhere. Sirius started laughing. 'Entertaining, no?' James thought.  
  
"IMPEDIMENTA!" Sirius shouted, pointing his own wand at Snape, who was knocked off his feet. He had been in the process of diving for his wand.  
  
James was well aware of onlookers crowding around. He mussed up his hair again, and grinned. If there was one thing he definitely loved, it was attention. He and Sirius walked closer to Snivellus, who was lying on the ground, panting. James looked around again. He still hadn't spotted Lily, although he did see Remus frowning at him.  
  
James spun back around, and narrowed his eyes. "How'd the exam go, Snivelly?" James asked, tauntingly.  
  
"I was watching him, his nose was touching the parchment," Sirius said. "There'll be great grease marks all over it, they won't be able to read a word." He sneered.  
  
Most people who were watching laughed. Snape struggled to get up, but the jinx was still in effect.  
  
"You – wait," he panted. He glared at James ferociously. "You – wait...."  
  
"Wait for what?" Sirius said. "What're you going to do, Snivelly, wipe your nose on us?"  
  
If looks could kill... "You son-of-a – !"  
  
"Wash out your mouth," James said, interrupting him. "SCOURGIFY!"  
  
Pink soap bubbles erupted from Snape's mouth, choking him, and making him gag.  
  
"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" James jumped at the voice. He knew that voice. He dreamed about that voice.  
  
However, he looked around as though he didn't know who it was, until his eyes fell on Lily.  
  
He grinned pleasantly, as if he wasn't torturing Severus. "All right, Evans?" he asked.  
  
Lily ignored this. "Leave him alone," she repeated. She was glaring at him. "What's he done to you?"  
  
'Why's she sticking up for him?' James thought, suddenly overcome with jealously. "Well," he said, drawing it out. "It's more to the fact that he exists, if you know what I mean...." Everyone laughed except Lily and Remus.  
  
"You think you're funny," Lily said, biting her lip. "But you're just an arrogant, bullying toerag, Potter. Leave him ALONE."  
  
"I will if you go out with me, Evans," James said so quickly that he didn't realize what he said until the words were out. However, he couldn't very well take them back, and now, everyone was staring at him, including Lily. "Go on... Go out with me, and I'll never lay a hand on old Snivelly again."  
  
Lily's eyes narrowed defiantly. "I wouldn't go out with you if it was a choice between you and the giant squid," she hissed. James felt like someone had just stabbed him in the stomach with an icicle.  
  
"Bad luck, Prongs," Sirius said, shrugging, turning back to Severus. "OY!"  
  
As soon as Sirius said it, James felt a burning sensation on the side of his face. His robes were splattered with blood. Boiling with anger, James turned around, and shouted, "WINGARDIUM LEVIOSA!" Barely a second later, Severus was upside down in the air, and his robes were falling over his head to reveal skinny legs and gray underpants. Everyone either burst out laughing or cheered.  
  
"Let him down!" Lily said.  
  
James grinned at her. He had seen the slight twitch of a smile on her face. "Certainly," he said, politely, and he jerked his wand upward, so that Severus fell on the ground, face first.  
  
As soon as he was up, Sirius yelled, "LOCOMOTOR MORTIS!" Severus fell back over again, this time, as stiff as a board.  
  
Lily looked as if she would explode. "LEAVE HIM ALONE!" she shouted. She snatched her own wand from her robes, and many people backed away from her. Everyone knew that Lily didn't have top marks in the year for nothing.  
  
"Ah, Evans, don't make me hex you," James said, as he and Sirius eyed her wand, warily.  
  
"Take the curse off him, then!" she screamed in frustration.  
  
James sighed deeply. 'Anything for you, milady,' he thought. He muttered the countercurse. "There you go," he said watching as Severus climbed to his feet. "You're lucky Evans was here, Snivellus –"  
  
"I don't need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her!"  
  
James glared. He was all set to put the bubble curse right back on old Snivelly, when Lily said, "Fine. I won't bother in future. And I'd wash your pants if I were you, SNIVELLUS."  
  
"Apologize to Evans!" James shouted at Severus, pointing his wand at him.  
  
Lily suddenly growled in frustration. "I don't want YOU to make him apologize," she shouted. "You're as bad as he is...."  
  
James jumped. "What? I'd NEVER call you a – you-know-what!"  
  
The object of his affections put her hands on her hips. "Messing up your hair because you think it looks cool to look like you've just got off your broomstick, showing off with that stupid Snitch, walking down corridors and hexing anyone who annoys you just because you can – I'm surprised your broomstick can get off the ground with that fat head on it. You make me SICK." Taking a deep breath, she spun on her heel and hurried away.  
  
James was stunned. She hated him that much? "Evans!" he shouted after her hoarsely. He cleared his throat and shouted again. "Hey, EVANS!" But it was no use. She was gone, and she didn't look back.  
  
A/N: So what did you think of the first chapter? For those of you who have already read it, feel free to come back when I put up chapter nine. (Yes I will finish it! I will!) Or, if you've decided you're comfortable here, and don't really want to leave, then you're more than welcome to have a look at my other stories! Just don't forget to review, and thanx!  
  
Ariana S. 


	2. bump

Disclaimer: IT'S NOT MINE! WOO HOO!  
  
A/N: for this chapter, everyone is a little bit older, we jump to 7th year, so certain people are more mature! So sorry Lillei, if you were hoping I'd continue from where I left off. AND THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS EVERYONE! I FEEL GREAT!  
  
Chapter Two – Bump  
  
Seventeen-year-old Severus Snape had long stringy hair that he wore in front of his face. While he realized that it freaked people out, he really didn't care because that meant he had a smaller chance of being bothered by people he didn't particularly like. 'Then again,' he thought, his eyes flashing dangerously, 'SOME people use it as an excuse to bother me.'  
  
Severus sat in the library writing ferociously in a journal. Yes, he kept a journal, but it was for a very special purpose. In his journal, he wrote every single thing that had happened to him involving James Potter since they had both arrived at Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He wrote down every single time Potter had teased him, every single time Potter had bullied him, every single time Potter sneered at him, or crossed his path. Oh, he had very big plans for this journal! He was going to use it to destroy James Potter one day and prove to the world that he really was "just an arrogant, bullying toerag," as Evans had so delicately put it two years ago.  
  
She was another person he wrote about in his journal – Lily Evans. She was a mystery to him. Evans was the top of the class, pretty (yes, she was pretty, as much as he hated to admit it), and a Gryffindor. But she was a Mudblood, and she knew, along with everyone else, that Severus was a Slytherin who particularly despised Mudbloods. Yet, she still stood up for him against Potter. Even after that incident two years ago, when Potter still would bug Severus in the hallways, Evans still had something to say about it.  
  
Severus scowled. 'Why can't that little Mudblood just mind her own business?' Because of her, even the other Slytherins found him incapable of defending himself from Potter.  
  
Where he was sitting, he had a direct view of the door, so he was positioned perfectly to glare at anyone who came inside. Or, in the case of it being, Potter and his deranged friends, Severus could prepare for an attack.  
  
The doors suddenly opened, and Severus held his breath. He let it out slowly when he saw that it was just a bunch of second year Hufflepuffs. One of them glanced at him and gasped loud enough for the whole school to hear. She turned toward her friends and whispered hurriedly. Immediately, they all looked over at him with different levels of disguised horror. Severus bared his teeth, and they scampered off, whimpering.  
  
Severus sneered. It was pathetic, really. He looked up again at the library doors which were swinging of their own accord; then he saw someone with dark red hair & two more people, a blonde, and a brunette, dash through the swinging doors, laughing almost hysterically. As soon as they were all the way inside the library, the doors suddenly stopped swinging.  
  
The blonde shook her head. "Are you sure it's a good idea to be jinxing the doors, love?" she said looking at the brunette, but she was still smiling.  
  
The brunette grinned back. "Sure, it is! That way the MIW will be off of our trail."  
  
The red head, who Severus suddenly realized was Evans, stopped walking and shook her head. "Kathryn, I can't believe you're still on about that." She rolled her eyes at the brunette. "The MIW? I thought we'd given that up in third year."  
  
Kathryn shook her head. "No, YOU gave it up, Lily. Patricia and I made it the highlight of our lives." She grinned at the blonde, who was obviously Patricia.  
  
"Transfer students," Evans said, throwing up her hands in faked exasperation. "What am I ever going to do with you two?"  
  
"Have fun?" Patricia said, raising her eyebrows.  
  
"I DO have fun," Evans retorted. "ACCIO quill!" The pencil in Kathryn's hand zoomed out and into Evans's hand.  
  
"Hey!" Kathryn said. She stuck out her tongue.  
  
"Relax," Evans said. "I just need to borrow to write down a few titles of books that I need to read for my research project...."  
  
Patricia and Kathryn exchanged knowing glances. They both sighed.  
  
"What?" Evans protested.  
  
"No fun," Patricia and Kathryn said in unison.  
  
Severus watched the whole exchange with interest, but he tried to appear as if he wasn't interested. 'Then, again, it doesn't matter,' he thought, bitterly. 'No one's watching me, anyways.'  
  
"Lily Evans, ever since you became Headgirl, you've become as boring as Freddy-the-Vampire," Kathryn remarked.  
  
"Who?" Evans said, clearly clueless.  
  
"We need to think up something for her to do," Kathryn said to Patricia. Patricia nodded in agreement, then her whole face lit up.  
  
"ROAD TRIP!" she yelled, earning a glare from Madam Pince, the strict librarian. She blushed, and quieted down.  
  
"You're going to get us in trouble," Evans said, glaring at her. "I swear, sometimes I think you guys are just as bad as James Potter."  
  
Severus wasn't even trying not to appear interested anymore. His ears were perked up, and he was practically straining to hear the conversation.  
  
"Oooo! James Potter!" Kathryn said, excitedly.  
  
"You mean, the really, REALLY, sexy, hot, Headboy, James Potter?" Patricia asked, blushing again.  
  
Severus felt his blood boil. 'BLOODY HELL, YOU STUPID GITS!' he wanted to scream. 'JAMES POTTER!?!? YOU LIKE JAMES POTTER!?!?'  
  
"No way!" Evans said, glaring. "I mean the really annoying, will-you-go-out- with-me-Evans, stubborn, troublemaker James Potter!"  
  
Patricia and Kathryn both grinned cheekily at her.  
  
"Stop it!" Evans said. She rubbed her hands together, and sighed. "Boy, would I love to get something on him!"  
  
Kathryn shook her head. "You won't! They didn't name him Headboy for nothing! He's popular, smart, attractive...."  
  
"I don't think so," Evans said, shortly. "And for the thousandth time, I SERIOUSLY don't see why Potter got chosen as Headboy. It's soooo annoying having him running after me all the time! And he's STILL mischievous! Just the other day, I saw him hexing –" Evans suddenly stopped talking and looked over in Severus's direction.  
  
Severus glared at her. She barely flinched, continuing to hold his gaze steadily, though he did notice that she was turning quite red. And it surprised him. 'Is she turning red because she was gossiping?' Severus thought. 'Or is it because it's ME?' He dismissed the idea as too stupid to think about. The very fact that Evans was worried about what he thought was stupid.  
  
'After, all, she doesn't care about me... does she?' Severus thought, as he left the library, his long stringy hair falling over his face.  
  
---  
  
Lily sighed. She was embarrassed. Headgirls weren't supposed to gossip, especially when the people she was gossiping about might hear her. She looked up at the ceiling of her dorm and sighed. It was her fault after all. She was the one who had gotten so vocal about James Potter. It seemed James Potter was all she could shout about these days. It still made her furious to think about it – the day when she found out that James Potter was Headboy.  
  
Every year she was at Hogwarts, Lily had tried to be the perfect witch. She had sucked up to all of the teachers, done all her work, helped out other students who needed it, and gotten top marks on all of her exams. She DESERVED to be Headgirl.  
  
Then, there was James Potter, Hogwarts notorious bad boy. He was the exact opposite of everything Lily tried to be. He had terrorized the teachers, done half of his work (when he felt like it), teased other students just for "existing," and gotten okay marks on his exams. If there was anyone who deserved to be Headboy, it was someone who was the exact opposite of Potter. Sure, he was popular, and maybe he was even good looking, but Lily knew that looks didn't get you your way in the world, especially the wizarding world.  
  
Lily sighed again. Now, she couldn't sleep. "Damn you, Potter," she whispered, as she climbed out of bed. She pulled on a robe and stood at the window for a few minutes. There was a full moon. It illuminated everything outside on the grounds. She smiled. Hogwarts really was beautiful. It was people like Potter that made it miserable.  
  
Frowning again, she crept down to the Gryffindor common room, and hesitated, debating whether to take one of her midnight walks or not. Usually, when Lily couldn't sleep, she would patrol the hallways on the lookout for any suspicious activity, and no one thought twice about it, seeing as she was Headgirl and all. Lily smiled. Yep, there were a LOT of advantages to being Headgirl.  
  
Lily climbed out of the portrait hole, remembering to close the fat lady's picture behind her. The fat lady was snoring soundly. Lily winced. When she came back, she'd have to wake her up. Lily hated bothering her. She always looked so disgruntled when she woke up in the middle of the night.  
  
"Oh, well," Lily whispered. She had no certain destiny in mind, but she didn't let this stop her. Usually when she had nowhere to go she would end up somewhere interesting, like a place she'd never been before.  
  
'There didn't even seem to be a ghost out tonight,' she thought vaguely. Suddenly, she heard a scuffling right in front of her. She stopped, shortly. "Who's there?" she called. No one answered. "Come on, if you're out of bed, I'm going to find you sooner or later."  
  
"I wouldn't be so sure," A sly voice answered. Lily narrowed her eyes. No one was there, but she knew whose voice that was.  
  
"Potter! Where are you?" she asked, spinning around to catch some glimpse of him.  
  
"Right here, Love." The whisper was a tickle on the back of her neck. Lily spun around again. No sign of him. She was starting to get annoyed.  
  
"Don't call me that!" Lily said, angrily, her eyes darting from side to side.  
  
"What would you prefer? Ickle Honeybunch? Sweetie Pie? My Little – ?"  
  
Lily turned around again. "NO!" she interrupted. "I'D PREFER IF YOU DIDN'T SPEAK TO ME AT ALL! GO AWAY IF YOU'RE NOT GOING TO SHOW YOURSELF!"  
  
There was a moment of silence. Then, "Fine. Suit yourself." Lily heard footsteps retreating in front of her. "Oh, and by the way, you shouldn't leave the portrait hole open, Evans."  
  
"I didn't!" Lily hissed.  
  
"Oh, I guess that was me. Bye, then!" he said cheerfully, his voice fading.  
  
"What do you mean, 'bye'? Aren't you going to close it?" Lily asked. There was no answer. "Potter! Potter! Ohhhh! You annoy me SO much!"  
  
Lily left the way she had come, back towards the portrait hole. She heard a thump from ahead, and stopped again. "POTTER! THAT BETTER NOT BE YOU!" she yelled, racing around the corner.  
  
With another thud, she collided with someone, the force knocking her and the other person backwards onto the floor. Looking up, she gasped. It definitely wasn't Potter.  
  
---  
  
A/N: james is irritating, isn't he? 160 points to anyone who can guess who Lily ran into! So review!!!  
  
Ariana S. 


	3. dunnn dun dun dun

Disclaimer: i don't own harry potter and i'm quite happy about it because i believe Miss Rowling is doing a great job all by herself (discluding that INCIDENT in book 5)  
  
A/N: 160 POINTS TO CRAZY4PADFOOT! CRAZY4PADFOOT COLLECTS 160 POINTS FOR (insert house here) AND WINS THE GAME!  
  
Chapter Three - Dunnn, dun, dun, dun-  
  
Severus looked up, heart pounding. He WOULD run into someone on a night like this. And it just WOULD be Evans. He sometimes wondered if it was ONLY the whole world that was working against him.  
  
Evans stared back at him, her eyes wide with - 'Well, well, well,' Severus thought. 'Is this fear, I see?'  
  
"Are you okay?" she suddenly asked. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been running."  
  
Severus just stared at her. Evans WOULD apologize. Even though he wasn't supposed to be out of bed. And she knew it. 'Stupid Mudbloods,' he thought. 'Better yet, the whole Gryffindor lot.'  
  
She looked down at him, and extended a hand, smiling. "Then again," she said, "you really should be in the bed."  
  
He sneered at her outstretched hand, and stood up. "Don't you think I've been knocked on the ground enough that I know how to get up by now?" he said, snidely.  
  
Evans blinked, but she quickly recovered. "I wouldn't know. I'm not a Slytherin myself, but I heard they were a SLOW lot." Her hands were on her hips, and her eyes were shooting fiery sparks at him.  
  
Severus glared at her, and then a slow grin spread across his face. Evans saw this and actually stepped back in shock. "What?" she asked, looking around. "What?"  
  
He smirked. "You're more like your BOYFRIEND then I thought," he said. "Only your boyfriend isn't as sneaky."  
  
"My what?" she snapped, her eyes narrowing dangerously.  
  
"Your 'ickle honeybunch,'" Severus said, trying to stop the urge to roll his eyes. It was such a "Gryffindor" thing to do.  
  
"Don't you dare say it!" Evans shouted. "That, that! That rotten pea brain is NOT my boyfriend!"  
  
Severus just looked at her. "So what are you doing out of bed, then? If not meeting with Potter?"  
  
"I'm Headgirl!" she said, clearly frustrated. "What are YOU doing out of bed?"  
  
Severus avoided the question by trying to change the subject. "Sometimes you're too nosy for your own good, Evans. That could get you into trouble," he said in a quiet voice, so that he was almost whispering.  
  
Evans glared at him. Just then, he couldn't help thinking that she was really beautiful, even if she was a mudblood, and a Gryffindor. A few strands of her long, vibrant, red hair was strewn across her forehead and falling into her eyes. Her face was flushed in anger, and her lips were lusciously red, like blood -  
  
Severus suddenly turned on his heel angrily. "GO TO BED, EVANS!" he yelled.  
  
The force of his voice surprised even him. A surprised expression flickered across her face. "I'M HEADGIRL!" she retorted.  
  
"BEING HEADGIRL WON'T SAVE YOU FROM A WEREWOLF!" Severus yelled back before he could stop himself. 'Damn it to hell,' he cursed himself.  
  
"What?" she whispered.  
  
"I'm a Slytherin, Evans. You shouldn't be associating with me. How would it look for you?" Severus started away.  
  
"No, tell me what you mean!" she said, hurrying after him.  
  
"I said, go to bed, Evans," Severus repeated. He walked faster.  
  
Evans suddenly grabbed his arm. He froze, and she dropped it. "Sorry," she whispered. "But, I have to know what you mean. You can't just NOT tell me. I'll - I'll deduct points from your house!"  
  
Severus felt like laughing, something he hadn't done in forever. "Do you REALLY think I care about something like that, Evans? It's pathetic."  
  
"Severus," she muttered.  
  
He turned around. She KNEW his NAME? His actual name? He couldn't remember the last time someone had said his name. The professors called him Snape, the other students didn't even talk to him, and Potter and his gang called him Snivellus. He bristled at the thought - SNIVELLUS!  
  
"Please?" she asked, her beautiful green eyes pleading at him.  
  
He forced himself to look away from her. She could hypnotize him with those eyes. "No," he said shortly.  
  
She took a deep breath. "Fine. Fine, then, I apologize. I shouldn't have been talking about you in the library. I shouldn't have even been talking. I won't talk anymore. How's that?"  
  
"I don't repeat myself," he said stubbornly.  
  
"So say yes this time," she said, smiling slightly. Her lips! What was it about them that made him so - ?  
  
He shook his head jerkily, and backed away.  
  
"Severus, if there's a werewolf in this school, I should KNOW about it. DUMBLEDORE should know about it. It's a danger to the other students." Her eyes stared at him pleadingly.  
  
"Leave me alone," Severus muttered. She finally gave up. He was relieved. He could tell she had given up by the way her shoulders slumped.  
  
"Okay. Okay, I'll leave you alone. It's what you want, right? And I suppose you don't HAVE to tell me," she said, finally turning around, and admitting her defeat. "G'nite, then, Severus."  
  
He walked away without a word. Evans was a being he had let to figure out.  
  
---  
  
Lily took a deep breath, and followed quietly behind Severus. It wasn't as if he could do anything. After all, she WAS Headgirl, right? He couldn't very well order her off to bed like he had tried to do. And she couldn't very well get into trouble. After all, it was almost sunrise, anyway. If one of the professors saw her, she could just say that she had woken up early and decided to patrol. She'd be dead tired tomorrow for sure. But, it was the weekend, and it was Hogsmeade weekend as well. She could always stay behind while Kathryn, and Patricia went without her. Hey, they could even take that Hufflepuff girl, Esther that they were always talking about.  
  
She rounded the same corner Severus had rounded, and was suddenly grabbed, and thrown roughly up against the wall. Her cry of pain was muffled as her attacker put one cold hand over her mouth. She opened her eyes and found that she was face-to-face with Severus.  
  
He bared his teeth at her. "I could kill you right now, Evans," he said, calmly, as she stared into his eyes, defiantly. To be honest, his dark eyes scared her. They held no depth, no warmth. So cold.  
  
He took his hand from over her mouth, but still held her against the wall. Her heartbeat was going a mile a minute. "Do you really want to know what Potter is up to?" he asked her.  
  
"Yes," she whispered, instantly curious.  
  
He backed away from her, and closed his eyes for a moment. She couldn't really tell what his face expression was as his hair seemed to cover it all. 'It was almost like a veil, really,' she thought. 'Like a mask to hide the real Severus Snape.'  
  
"Follow me," he said, his voice sounding hollow and wooden. "It should be safe now," he muttered, almost to himself.  
  
Lily followed wordlessly. She was dying to know what exactly was going on. Severus led her to the main doors of Hogwarts, and stopped.  
  
"What?" she asked, breathlessly.  
  
He glanced up at her and opened the doors. There was a crazy glint in his eyes - one that particularly frightened Lily. She shivered and stepped forward out into the very early morning air.  
  
Suddenly, she froze as her mouth opened in a silent scream of horror.  
  
(A/N: this would be the perfect place to have a cliffhanger, but I'm not THAT coldhearted. Well, Hilda would say differently, but you can't believe her, now can you?)  
  
Lily screamed aloud. There was a WEREWOLF running straight at her! She was frozen. She couldn't move! The werewolf suddenly stopped and stared. Lily couldn't breathe. She was going to die! She was going to die right here at Hogwarts! And it was all Potter's fault!  
  
She swallowed, fumbling for her wand inside her wand. Then, she realized she had forgotten her wand back in the room.  
  
(A/N: again, this would be another perfect place to have a cliffhanger, but again, I'm not THIS mean either)  
  
---  
  
James Potter had just finished transforming back into a human from a stag, when he heard a high-pitched scream coming from the direction Remus had dashed off toward. "Oh, shit!" he whispered, and took off running toward the building, yanking his wand out from his robes.  
  
Nearing the front door, his eyes opened wide, and his insides froze. Lily Evans! It was LILY EVANS! And Remus was - !  
  
"REMUS, NO!" he bellowed. Out of nowhere, a huge black dog (Sirius) suddenly slammed into the werewolf, knocking both of them to the ground. James saw Lily slump to the ground out of the corner of his eye.  
  
The sun was coming up. James looked over to where Remus and Sirius were. Remus was screaming as he transformed back into a human. It was painful, James knew, but he wasn't worried about Remus. He was worried about Lily. More like terrified. WHAT IF REMUS HAD BITTEN LILY? 'Well, there'd be one more marauder,' he thought subconsciously. He shook his head. He had to see if Lily was okay.  
  
He ran up to the doors, and stopped short. "SNIVELLUS!?" he exclaimed. "What the hell!?"  
  
Lily was on the ground, having fainted and Snape was attempting to pick her up.  
  
Snape suddenly spun around and growled. "What did you and your STUPID friends do to her, Potter?"  
  
"WHAT?" James was enraged. "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU, SNIVELLUS!"  
  
"I would lower your voice, Potter!"  
  
"SHUT UP!" James roared. "You know perfectly well what Lupin is and you brought her out here! For what, Snivellus!?"  
  
"I don't have to answer your stupid questions!" Snape hissed, hoisting Lily up in his arms.  
  
"PUT HER DOWN!" James yelled. His voice got dangerously low. "Put her down right now, or so help me, I will curse you. I swear I will."  
  
Snape's eyes were burning with hatred. "You wouldn't, Potter. Have you forgotten that I'm holding your girlfriend?"  
  
"PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!" he screamed, pointing his wand straight at Snape. James rushed forward, and caught Lily right before she hit the ground. Meanwhile, Snape's arms and legs had sprung to his sides, and he collasped on the ground, stiff as a board.  
  
"I warned you," James said darkly.  
  
Just then, Remus and Sirius came up toward him. "What's going on?" Remus asked when he saw Lily. He spotted Snape on the ground, and looked back up at James with a worried expression on his face.  
  
Sirius, however, let out a low whistle. "Prongs, we have a problem."  
  
---  
  
A/N: eeeep! i guess we do have a problem, don't we? oh, wait! i don't! it's my story, isn't it? heehee, never mind then! REVIEW IF YOU WANT ANOTHER CHAPTER ANYTIME SOON! i'm on vacation, so if i feel i don't have to update, i won't.  
  
Ariana S. 


	4. dunnn!

A/N: again, thank you all so much! To Romulan Empress: thanks for adding me to your favorite authors list! yes, it most certainly did motivate me! lol. and i can't say this enough, i'm glad you all like my story! feels fantabulouso!  
  
Chapter Four - Dunnn!  
  
Moony paced back and forth across the common room the next morning. Usually he slept late into the day the night after he transformed, but there was no way he could sleep after what had happened ...  
  
"I still don't get it," Padfoot said. "What was she DOING out there that time of night? What was she even doing UP that time of night?"  
  
"And with SNIVELLUS!" Prongs added, seething.  
  
"Didn't you say you ran into her, James?" Moony asked, stopping. "I thought you led her back to here?"  
  
"I thought I did, too," Prongs replied, miserably. "But obviously she must have gotten distracted or something, and then ran into that slimy git!"  
  
"What was HE doing up?" Wormtail said, speaking for the first time.  
  
"No doubt following us and trying to get us in trouble," Padfoot growled. "I swear if I get my hands on him - "  
  
"Don't," Moony interrupted, quietly. "It's my fault."  
  
Prongs immediately started shaking his head. "No, Remus, it isn't! If SNIVELLUS hadn't taken her outside - "  
  
"-then you never would have attacked her," Padfoot finished.  
  
"Yeah!" Wormtail piped up. "And at least you didn't bite her."  
  
Prongs nodded. "Dumbledore knows Hogwarts doesn't need ANOTHER werewolf running around!" Padfoot and Wormtail agreed.  
  
"Maybe Hogwarts never needed ANY werewolves running around," Moony said, quietly.  
  
They all stared at him for a minute. "You can't be serious, mate," Padfoot finally spoke up. "It was just a little accident. Evans was in the wrong place at the wrong time and she just happened to run into Snivellus who we all know would have tried to get her bumped off anyway - "  
  
Remus whirled on them, his eyes shooting off angry sparks. "NO!" he said, fiercely. "Don't you see? You're blaming the WRONG wizard! You can say that it's all Snape's fault this time, but who's to know that it won't happen again? I'm a WEREWOLF in case you lot hadn't noticed! What if I HAD bitten Evans, huh? We wouldn't be able to shrug it off then, would we? I can't control what I do or how I feel when I'm transformed!"  
  
He stopped, embarrassed. His friends were all gaping at him. He turned away from them, ashamed, and said this next part in a whisper. "The fact is ... I think I - a part of me WANTED to bite Evans. A part of me knew I shouldn't, but ... I thought that if I did, then ... I wouldn't be ... ALONE anymore."  
  
No one knew what to say to this, and luckily for them, they didn't have to say anything because voices were drifting down from the girls' staircase.  
  
---  
  
Kathryn took the stairs down to the common room two at a time. Patricia followed behind, shaking her head as Kathryn tripped, and muttering, "Blonde."  
  
(A/N: it's funny because patricia is the one who really is the blonde, just to let you all know, heehee)  
  
"Something's wrong with her," Patricia suddenly said, as they neared the bottom of the stairs. She was talking about Lily.  
  
Kathryn nodded her agreement. "I know. Just last night, before we all went to bed, she was dying to go to the Three Broomsticks."  
  
"Uh, huh. Now she's laying there like she's been petrified," Pat added.  
  
"Maybe she had a bad dream ... " Kathryn said, thoughtfully. "Darn! I wanted her to meet Esther!"  
  
Pat laughed. "Yeah, well, we could always bring her back some things from Honeydukes. And she could meet Esther when she's feeling better."  
  
They traipsed into the common room only to be greeted by silence.  
  
"Did everyone leave already? Why are you still here?" Pat asked Sirius Black, blushing in the process. She, like many other girls at Hogwarts, thought Sirius Black was majorly gorgeous.  
  
He flashed her a grin. "Yeah, but we're too tired. You know, late night ... WANDERINGS and all." This just made Pat blush even worse.  
  
Kathryn rolled her eyes. "Yeah, you AND Lily. I guess she's tired, too, only she's refused to even TALK this morning, so we really don't know what's wrong."  
  
"Mmhmm. She looks like she did when first saw the Bloody Baron," Pat added. "Either that, or when she saw that muggle monster movie. Lily's scared to death of monsters."  
  
Remus flinched at this, almost knocking over a chair. Then, he blushed even more than Patricia had, causing Kathryn to roll her eyes again.  
  
"B-But she didn't SAY anything?" Remus stuttered.  
  
Kathryn shook her head slowly. "Nooo. Why? Do you know - ?"  
  
"No reason," Sirius said quickly. "Just concerned."  
  
Pat gave them an odd look. "Right. Well, we're off to Hogsmeade, then. You're sure you're not coming?"  
  
Peter whined. "I wanna go."  
  
"Go on then," James said, speaking up. "You can bring sweets back with you, and uhhh, keep an eye on ... THINGS." He gave Peter a meaningful look that the girls didn't catch. They were too busy throwing each other disgusted looks. Soon enough, they left with him cheerfully in tow.  
  
---  
  
Lily lay wide awake, shivering. She knew there had to be dark circles under her eyes, as every time she'd go to sleep, she'd wake up soon after, drenched in cold sweat, shaking, and muttering about werewolves.  
  
And not JUST werewolves either. No, there was always a huge black dog charging toward her, too. Lily shivered again. She had never told anyone, not even her two best friends, but she was TERRIFIED of dogs. It wasn't that she didn't trust Pat and Kat, but they had teased her enough when they had discovered her fear of monsters. It was good-natured teasing, but still. Her sister, Petunia, had had a dog once ...  
  
So Remus was a werewolf, Sirius was a Grim, and she didn't even want to think about what James and Peter might be. She didn't want to think about the fact that they were probably all in the common room waiting in their Animagi forms ... waiting for her to come down, so they could tear her to shreds ...  
  
Lily snorted, a very unladylike thing to do. But honestly, she was being ridiculous. She, Lily Evans, was Headgirl of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. And she was most definitely NOT afraid of a few unruly seventh year boys. Particularly when they were the same age she was.  
  
"Besides," she said aloud, "they probably went to Hogsmeade anyway. Who wouldn't?" Letting her practical side take over, she showered, dressed, and brushed her hair a hundred times. Mentally promising never to leave her wand behind again, she stuck it into her white jeans pocket, and straightened out her red tank top. Then, she walked slowly around the room, making sure nothing was out of place.  
  
"You're being silly, Lily," she told herself. (A/N: heehee "silly lily" i amuse myself) Then, she took a deep breath, opened the door and descended down the stairs towards the common room.  
  
---  
  
Severus sat alone drinking a butterbeer in the Three Broomsticks. He was tired of watching his classmates filter through the door, pass his table, and glare at him for no reason other than that he was sitting there.  
  
And he was tired of pretending that he WASN'T waiting for Lily Evans, when in fact, he was. He told himself that he was just curious. He wanted to know what she thought about the situation, and what she was going to do about it. 'After all,' he thought, snidely. 'She IS Headgirl.'  
  
He sneered at a group of first year Ravenclaws, who steered clear of him. But he sure as hell didn't care. Potter would get EXACTLY what he deserved. Maybe he would even get expelled!  
  
Severus Snape smiled wickedly. THAT'S all HE cared about. He sipped his butterbeer. And he didn't give a DAMN about Lily Evans.  
  
---  
  
Lily walked slowly down the common room stairs, gripping her wand, and listening for sound of any kind. She paused on the last stair and looked around. Then, she relaxed when she saw no one, and let out the breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding.  
  
"EXPELLIARMUS!" Potter's voice shouted from somewhere in the middle of the room. He suddenly appeared out of nowhere, his wand in one hand and hers in the other.  
  
Lily gasped. "Wh-What are y-you - ?"  
  
"Element of surprise, Evans," Potter said, smoothly. Subconsciously, he rumpled up his hair. "I need to talk to you. Official Headboy and Headgirl Hogwarts business."  
  
Lily shook in anger. "Did you HAVE to disarm me!?" she hissed, fighting to keep her voice under control.  
  
"Yeah," Potter shrugged. "If I didn't you might have hexed me. I don't trust you, Evans."  
  
Lily glared at him. "Give me back my wand, Potter! Right now!"  
  
"See, Evans? Your temper is part of the problem," he said, cockily. Then, he put his one hand to his chin, and said, thoughtfully, "At least anger isn't as bad as fear."  
  
"Fear?" Lily's voice wavered a little. "I - I don't know what you're talking about! I'm not afraid of anything! GIVE ME MY WAND BACK, NOW!"  
  
He tossed it to her so suddenly that she missed it and had to lean over to catch it, which meant taking her eyes off of James. She straightened back up quickly to find that he had disappeared again.  
  
Then, she stiffened as she heard his voice beside her ear. "So, Evans, does that mean you're not afraid of werewolves?"  
  
Lily felt her throat catch. She was desperate to change the subject. "What sort of HOGWARTS business is this?" she asked, menacingly.  
  
Just then, saving him from having to answer, the door burst open, and in came Lupin and Black. All of them froze at the sight of each other. Well, all froze, except James. No one was quite sure if he froze or not, as no one could see him.  
  
(A/N: he was dancin the do-si-do! But he stopped when he realized he didn't have a partner)  
  
Lily locked startled eyes with Lupin and she unconsciously backed up against the wall next to the girls' staircase. Everyone noticed this, especially Lupin who stared at the floor, his face growing as red as Lily's hair.  
  
"Excuse me," he said quietly, and hurried away towards the boys' dormitories.  
  
Lily's hand clutched her wand as she stared at Sirius. To her surprise, he stepped toward her. He looked slightly embarrassed. "Uh, Evans, hi. Can I ... talk to you?"  
  
Lily tried to back away to discover that she was already backed up against the wall. "No," she choked. "No!"  
  
Black took a deep breath. "Okay, but, uhhh. Could you not tell anyone? Please?"  
  
Lily just stared at him.  
  
"Thanks," he said, taking her silence for, well, the guarantee of silence, I guess. (A/N: weird sentence, I know, give me a break. I don't know the characters in & out. If I did, there'd be no need to write the story) Black hurried up the stairs after Lupin.  
  
"I thought you weren't afraid of anything?" James said from behind her, making her jump.  
  
She spun around. He was visible again. "How are you doing that?" she asked, face flushing. She had avoided the question again.  
  
"Invisibility cloak," he said casually. He smirked. "I would have thought you'd known that by now, Evans. Being HEADGIRL and all."  
  
"Oh," she said. There was an uncomfortable silence.  
  
"What were you doing with Snivellus last night?" he suddenly asked.  
  
Lily looked up at him in surprise, and then her face grew angry again. "Well, let me see. I was on my way back to Gryffindor Tower because some stupid INVISIBLE git had told me that he left the portrait door wide open."  
  
"Oh?" James said, innocently. He batted his eyelashes.  
  
Lily fought the urge to laugh at his expression. She was supposed to be BERATING him, not encouraging him! She continued. "Then I caught Severus sneaking around, and he said something about a werewolf - " She cut herself off, and closed her eyes tightly, remembering how she had wanted to get James in trouble.  
  
"And then he led you outside?" James prodded. Lily nodded, and immediately James's face grew angry. "THAT STUPID SON-OF-A - ! HE KNEW EXACTLY WHAT HE WAS DOING!"  
  
Lily jumped a mile. "Maybe he didn't know about the danger - "  
  
"How found out about us in fifth year," James interrupted. "How could he not know the danger?"  
  
Lily's face paled. "You've been doing this ever since FIFTH YEAR!? What is the MATTER with you?" she shouted. "You talk about him! How could YOU not know about the danger!? Are you MAD? Are you INSANE? WHAT IF SOMEONE HAD GOTTEN SERIOUSLY INJURED?" (A/N: does she sound too much like hermione there?)  
  
"You didn't get injured," he muttered, staring at the ground.  
  
Lily shut up. His gaze was drop dead serious as he looked back up at her. "You didn't, right? You weren't bitten or anything, right?"  
  
"I-I wasn't," Lily stammered. "But that's be-besides the point!"  
  
"Is it?" he said, raising his eyebrows. She stared at him at a loss for words. Then, he suddenly grinned, and his whole face relaxed. "We don't need another marauder around here, Evans. I wouldn't go patrolling outside anymore if I were you. Especially during full moons."  
  
---  
  
A/N: THANKS AGAIN, GUYS! I COULD NEVER HAVE MADE IT THIS FAR WITHOUT YOU! well, actually, i could, but i just want you to know that your reviews are much appreciated! that said, please review this chapter, too!  
  
Ariana S. 


	5. bibbity

A/N: Angel Black1 pointed out that when I insert an author's note in the middle of the story, it takes away from the flow and distracts readers, so I won't be doing that anymore! Thanks for telling me!  
  
Disclaimer: not mine!  
  
Chapter Five – Bibbity  
  
"So how do we do it?" Prongs asked later that night. He and Padfoot were stretched out on their dormitory floor playing a game of wizard's chess. Moony was lying down on his bed reading a book, while Wormtail watched the chess game with fascination.  
  
"Do what?" Padfoot said lazily. At the moment, he was winning the game.  
  
Prongs rolled his eyes. "Stop Evans from tattling. You know she will. After all, she IS Headgirl."  
  
"Oh, that," Padfoot said, shrugging. "The usual, I guess. You know? Blackmail her, threaten her, tell her Moony will eat her ...."  
  
Everyone laughed at this, except Remus. Instead, he lowered his book slowly. "Or," he began softly. "We could just make friends with her."  
  
They all stared at him in disbelief.  
  
"Are you kidding!? EVANS!?" James exclaimed. "That's crazy! No way!"  
  
"Yeah, mate," Sirius agreed, shaking his head. "It might work with a normal person, but Prongs is right. This is EVANS."  
  
"So?" Remus raised his eyebrows.  
  
"Moony, no offense or anything, but in case you haven't noticed, Evans is terrified of you," James said flatly. "Padfoot, too."  
  
"It doesn't have to be ME, or Padfoot." Remus fixed him with a pointed stare.  
  
James immediately began shaking his head. "No. No, no, no, no, and no! There is no way - "  
  
"Do you want our secret to be revealed?" Remus countered. "Do you want to lose your Headboy badge? You want to risk expulsion?"  
  
They glared at each other until James backed off, breaking his gaze. "Why can't it be Wormtail?" he asked weakly. "Why me?"  
  
"Let's see," Remus said, starting to count off on his fingers. "You're Headboy, she's Headgirl, so you're closest to her physically; you have the most classes with her, she actually TALKS to you, no offense Peter; plus you're the least obvious choice. She won't suspect anything funny ... and, well, it's easy for you to talk to girls." Remus blushed at this last part.  
  
"He does have good points, Prongs," Sirius said, grinning. "Plus, you can keep SNIVELLY away from her."  
  
James sighed. "Fine," he said exasperatedly. "I'll make friends with Evans."  
  
---  
  
"Are you feeling better, Lily?" Kat said sweetly the next morning (Sunday) as they got ready for breakfast.  
  
"Hmm? Oh, yes, fine. Thank you," Lily said, absentmindedly.  
  
"How did you like the chocolate frogs we brought back?" Kat tried again.  
  
"I'd be glad to," Lily said, disappearing into the bathroom. Kat and Pat exchanged a glance.  
  
"Hey, Lilio!" Pat shouted. "Potter said he wants you meet him in the Headperson bathroom! I think he wants you to come naked! What do you say?"  
  
"Sure, why not?" Lily said. Pat waited a few minutes, then the bathroom door burst open.  
  
"WHAT!?" Lily stuck her head outside of the bathroom door. Her face was turning bright red. "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY!?"  
  
Kathryn and Patricia were practically rolling down the hallway laughing.  
  
"Not funny!" Lily retorted, slamming the bathroom door.  
  
---  
  
Severus watched her from across the Great Hall. He was seething with rage. Potter was STILL sporting that Headboy badge. Therefore, Evans hadn't tattled yet.  
  
'What's taking her so bloody long?' he thought in annoyance.  
  
Those two idiot girls that she called her friends, stood up and walked away while waving back at Evans. 'Probably going back to their common room,' Severus mused.  
  
As soon as they exited the Great Hall, Evans put her silverware down. Severus watched with interest as she buried her head in her hands.  
  
'So, she's not hungry. She merely wanted to be away from those twittering idiots,' Severus thought, slightly amused.  
  
Anger quickly replaced his amusement when he spotted Potter sitting with his groupies farther down the Gryffindor table. His eyes narrowed further when he realized that every few seconds, they would all sneak looks at Evans. It didn't help as Potter was the one who glanced at her most often.  
  
Severus glared. 'I have to get her away from that blubbering idiot!' He stood up abruptly, and stalked over to Evans in his twitchy manner.  
  
"Evans!" he barked.  
  
She looked up in surprise. Then, her gaze fell on someone behind Severus.  
  
"Snape," A low voice said.  
  
Severus didn't turn around. "Why don't you do us a favor, Potter, and go away?" he replied, in an evenly bored tone.  
  
"Who's 'us'?" Potter said. "I only see you. And Evans. And I highly doubt there is an 'us' there." He laughed.  
  
Severus kept his eyes on Evans. "Laugh all you want Potter, but as soon as Evans here tells the Headmaster, there will no longer be a 'you' at Hogwarts." He looked into Evans's eyes, and met her gaze. "I would get on that if I were you, Evans." Nuff said, he strode away, a delightful gleam in his eyes.  
  
---  
  
James hesitated. Evans still hadn't said anything. She was just looking at him in expectation. He had to say something. Anything.  
  
She beat him to it. "You want to make sure I don't tell, right?"  
  
He tensed, then he got an idea. "No, actually. I wanted to tell you that Moony – err – Remus, says he's sorry."  
  
"Oh?" she turned slightly red.  
  
"Yeah." He tousled his hair, causing her to glare at him. He grinned. "Well, yeah, he apologized and everything. So did Sirius. They didn't mean to scare you, and they both said that they won't come near you if you don't want them to, with the exception of classes, etc. etc."  
  
"Oh," she said again. She looked embarrassed. She blushed. "It's not as if I'm AFRAID of them or anything, it's just I was... um, caught off guard, and uh, surprised. But that's all. No fear here."  
  
James raised his eyebrow. "Right."  
  
"Honest," Evans insisted.  
  
"Okay, okay," James said, holding up his hands in defense. "See you then." With a little wave, he took off to where his friends were waiting just beyond the doors of the Great Hall.  
  
---  
  
"Like it or not, Mr. Potter, you are also in charge of the decorations of the Yule Ball, seeing as you are Headboy," Professor McGonagall said. "And Miss Evans has informed me that you have been shirking your duties."  
  
James groaned inwardly. "But that's so BORING!" he whined.  
  
Professor McGonagall's eyes flashed. "Stop being ridiculous! Who exactly do you think handled the decorations before you were Headboy?"  
  
"The teachers?"  
  
"No, Mr. Potter. It comes with the responsibility of being Headboy," McGonagall said, exasperately. "However, should you choose to give up that responsibility–"  
  
"I'll do it," James interrupted quickly. "Even though I think girls are MUCH better decorators..."  
  
"Nonsense. Some gentlemen have EXCELLENT decorating skills," McGonagall retorted. And with that, she swooshed him out of the office.  
  
---  
  
Lily was seriously irritated. She didn't mind working on the decorations for the Yule Ball and everything, but honestly! Working with someone who OBVIOUSLY did not want to work was exhausting.  
  
"What are you on about now?" Lily snapped. James had just sighed loudly for the millionth time.  
  
"WHY do we HAVE to have streamers? Isn't that a MUGGLE thing?" James said, turning to her with a pained expression.  
  
"You're supposed to be BEWITCHING them," Lily said, trying to keep her patience.  
  
"Why do I have to do it? Why can't you do it?" James whined.  
  
Lily fought the urge not to slug him one. "Please, Potter, I'm BUSY over here!"  
  
"You're not DOING anything!" he exclaimed.  
  
Lily was up to her elbows in decorations, trying to decide how best everything would fit. She put her hand to her forehead. "I'm doing a lot more than you, thank you very much! Look, if you're so bored, why don't you try to change these bits of paper into snow-like confetti?"  
  
James shook his head. Before Lily knew what he was doing, he was beside her. She jumped as he said something softly in her ear. "Come on, Evans, let's go have a bit of fun somewhere else."  
  
Lily shivered. His voice had gotten REALLY low all of a sudden. It was unnerving.  
  
"Quit it," she said, swatting out at him without turning around. "If we continue to work like this, we might get most of this done tonight."  
  
"And what happens to it in the morning? Won't everyone see it?"  
  
"No. Professor Dumbledore said he'll put an invisibility spell on everything until we've finished," Lily explained.  
  
"Well, we don't want Dumbledore to have to go to all that trouble, do we? It'll be much better if there was nothing for him to have to put an invisibility spell on, wouldn't it?" James said, slyly. "We can do this tomorrow night."  
  
"HOW in the WORLD did you become Headboy?" Lily groaned. "They should've chose Remus."  
  
James stopped, and turned toward her. "You fancy Remus? Remus Lupin?"  
  
"No," she said, glaring at him. "He's just so much more serious than you are. His only flaw is that he's YOUR friend."  
  
James stepped back, a hurt expression flashing over his face. "That was cold, Evans."  
  
"Well, it's true," Lily said, softly. "And the fact that he's a – I suppose Dumbledore didn't want him in the limelight too much. People might start questioning his whereabouts every month."  
  
"So you think Remus would make a better Headboy than me?" James asked, his face expression completely blank.  
  
"Honestly, yes, I do," Lily answered, turning back toward the decorations.  
  
There was a long pause in which neither of them said anything.  
  
Then, James asked, "Would you go out with him?"  
  
Lily's face flushed. "That is completely off the topic," she answered quickly. "Besides, someone I know – never mind."  
  
"You know someone who likes him? Does she know - ?"  
  
"-what he is?" Lily finished. "No. I haven't told anyone. And I won't."  
  
James breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. He doesn't need the publicity."  
  
"I know," Lily said, shuddering. "Imagine, if everyone found out...." She trailed off. "Being a werewolf must be horrible. Having to be alone all the time with the burden."  
  
"He's not alone," James said. "He's got us – me, Sirius, and Peter."  
  
"It's different for you," Lily argued. "He's a werewolf. He doesn't WANT to be a werewolf. He can't change at will, like you can, being an Animagus and all. It must be painful to have no one to talk to who understands." She glanced up at him quickly. He had a strange, thoughtful look on his face.  
  
She bit her lip. "I-I don't think I would have minded very much," Lily suddenly whispered. "Getting bitten, I mean. If there was another werewolf around, then maybe Remus wouldn't be so lonely." She looked up to see his reaction.  
  
James was STUNNED. James Potter was stunned. LILY had stunned HIM. She suddenly laughed out loud. What she wouldn't give to have a camera right now....  
  
---  
  
A/N: okie dokie! Finito! Whatever that means . . . okay! I'm finished with this chapter, obviously, so please review! If I missed A/N's in there anywhere, then please tell me so I can go back and take them out. THANKS FOR READING!!! AND PLEASE REVIEW!!!  
  
Ariana S. 


	6. bobbity

A/N: glad to know everyone is enjoying it! for all of you remus lovers, cowers I'm sorry, but remus will be badgered a bit more in this chapter. don't be mad! Remus is my favorite character! I won't be TOO mean to him . . . but James might.  
  
Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns these characters. I own this plot.  
  
Chapter Six – Bobbity  
  
Lily struggled to keep a straight face, but it was hard! James and Sirius were putting a curse on Professor McGonagall's hat while she was out of the classroom! So when she put it on it would start to yell, "WASH YOUR HAIR!"  
  
The class was talking and laughing, so no one was paying attention, and Lily wasn't in the mood to get into another argument with James. She just stared at them, willing them to stop before McGonagall returned, when James caught her eye. Maybe it was her pained look, but he suddenly stopped, shrugging.  
  
"On second thought, Padfoot, we really can't afford detention . . . and I think I hear McGonagall coming," he suddenly said.  
  
Sirius hightailed it back towards his seat in the back of the room without argument, and James followed after taking the charm off of the hat. Lily was surprised. She hadn't done anything! What had caused him to stop?  
  
She looked up and locked gazes with Remus. He, too, had a confused expression on his face. She could tell that he was also wondering what was going on with James. Lily wouldn't be so concerned if this had been the only incident. There was also the fact that James had told Sirius to calm down yesterday when he was messing around in Potions. It was like James was becoming more SERIOUS or something . . .  
  
Lily shook her head, and looked away from Remus. No. James wasn't the type to settle down. 'He's probably going through a phase,' she thought.  
  
"Good morning, class!" Professor McGonagall said, startling Lily, who hadn't realized she'd come through the door already.  
  
"Good morning, Professor McGonagall!" the class recited.  
  
"All right class, for today we'll be continuing with what we started the other day – transfiguring animals into SLIGHTLY larger animals of a completely different species! I'm also going to switch the partners around to see how your magic is affected when working with a different person," McGonagall said. "Instead of Mr. Potter and Mr. Black, we'll have Mr. Black and Mr. Pettigrew, while Mr. Potter can team up with Mr. Pettigrew's former partner, Miss Evans. And instead of . . ."  
  
Lily froze. Work with James? Sure, he was WAY better than Peter at Transfiguration, but STILL. Work with James? At least Peter would sit there quietly and let her do all of the work, but James? James with another story. He was . . . well, he was actually pretty good at Transfiguration.  
  
Lily was sitting there frozen, while the rest of the class (including James) was shifting around to sit with their partners.  
  
"Hey, Evans," James said, sitting down. He grinned at her. "What shall we do with your owl?"  
  
Lily snapped out of her daze, and glared at him. "Why MY owl?" she snapped. "Why not yours?"  
  
"Mine just happens to be off delivering a letter," James said, running a hand through his hair. "Unfortunately," he added, winking at her.  
  
Lily rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right," she muttered. "More like CONVENIENT, than unfortunate." At this he just grinned wider.  
  
---  
  
"Not too shabby a tabby, Evans!" James said proudly. "Whatcha think? She's a beautiful cat, if I do say so myself."  
  
"You can SAY so yourself, Potter, but you didn't do it by yourself," Lily reminded him, but she was glowing anyway. Her owl, Tawny, was now a really gorgeous reddish-brown tabby cat.  
  
"What are you talking about, Evans? Of course I did!" James said, grinning idiotically at anyone who walked by. "Not too shabby a tabby, eh?" he said, waggling his eyebrows at the people behind them.  
  
Lily couldn't help but laugh this time. "You're too much," she replied, grinning at him.  
  
"Just that much more of me to love," he remarked.  
  
Lily rolled her eyes. "Do you ever get tired of . . . never mind."  
  
"No, what?" James interrupted. "What were you going to say?"  
  
"I was going to ask you if you ever got tired of being yourself," Lily admitted.  
  
James frowned, obviously confused. "No. Why would I?" he asked her.  
  
"Never mind. It doesn't matter," Lily replied, hastily. "Let us just work on turning Tawny back."  
  
---  
  
"Remus, wait!" Lily was sitting in the library facing the doors when Remus came in. Spotting her, he quickly turned around and retreated.  
  
Lily gathered her things, and rushed after him. "Remus!" He was just about to turn the corner when he stopped.  
  
He turned around slowly, and looked at her, uncertainly.  
  
Lily stopped. "Um . . . I, uh, just wanted to apologize about . . . you know . . . um, I know you can't help it, and . . . I'm sorry I've been so rude."  
  
He gave her a shy smile. "It's okay. I never apologized, either, for well . . . you know . . . but I'm sorry as well."  
  
They were both standing there smiling and blushing when James happened to walk up. He looked at one, then he looked at the other, then he stood there and started smiling and blushing, too, which caused Lily and Remus to laugh.  
  
"What's going on?" James said, grinning.  
  
Lily smirked at him, a very un-Lily like thing to do. She did the tiniest of winks at Remus, then said, "Oh, Potter, Remus here has just made me the HAPPIEST girl in the world!"  
  
James's smile disappeared. "Wh-what are you talking about?" he demanded.  
  
Lily smiled charmingly, and threw her arms around a very flustered Remus. "Isn't it WONDERFUL?" she exclaimed.  
  
James stared disbelievingly. "You're joking, right?" he finally said. "Because if you are, it's not funny."  
  
Remus coughed. "James, it's just – "  
  
He turned on Lily, who flinched. "I thought you were AFRAID of him."  
  
Lily glared. 'What is WRONG with him?' she thought, mildly surprised. "I was NEVER afraid!"  
  
"Oh? So what was the whole fainting stuff about? Huh? What were you shaking for? It wasn't cold outside, was it?" James shouted. "Maybe it if were, you would have minded your own business and gone back to the common room like I told you!"  
  
Lily clenched her fists in anger. "I DO NOT TAKE ORDERS FROM YOU, POTTER!"  
  
"MAYBE YOU SHOULD!" James said. "AND WHILE YOU'RE AT IT, WHY DON'T YOU START CALLING ME JAMES? YOU'RE ON A FIRST NAME BASIS WITH REMUS!"  
  
"That's because REMUS is my FRIEND!" she hissed, shaking in anger.  
  
"Or maybe you just have an obsession with werewolves," James said, coldly. "What was it you said? You wouldn't have minded if Remus had bitten you? Eh? Was that it?"  
  
Lily turned bright red, and avoided Remus's gaze as he stared at her wide- eyed.  
  
She shook her head. "You know what, Potter?" she said in a low voice. "You never did tell me what animal YOU turn into, but I bet it's something DISGUSTING!"  
  
Spinning on her heel, she marched off furiously.  
  
---  
  
James was pacing back and forth across his dorm with his arms crossed.  
  
Sirius shook his head. "But I thought you didn't like Evans?"  
  
"I DON'T like Evans!" James snapped.  
  
"Then who cares if Remus fancies her?" Sirius said, scratching his head.  
  
"He doesn't!" James insisted. "I just don't like the way they flirt!"  
  
"They flirt?" Sirius asked in wonder. "Really?"  
  
"Who flirts?" Remus timidly said, having just appeared in the open doorway.  
  
"Apparently you and Evans," Sirius informed him, as James had gone tight- lipped.  
  
Remus blushed. "James, earlier was just a joke. Lily and I – "  
  
"There you go with that first-name business again," James interrupted, glaring at him.  
  
Remus sighed. "I guess we're friends, like she said."  
  
"Friends, huh?" James said, still glaring. "So now you're Evans's friend."  
  
"Yes," Remus said, decidedly.  
  
"Well, there you go," James said, sarcastically. "Job well done, guys! And I guess you don't need me anymore because if REMUS can befriend the great Lily Evans, then he can befriend ANYONE, can't he? Hey, Remus, why don't you go become friends with Snivellus? Maybe he'll let you call him by HIS first name, too!"  
  
Leaving a very shocked-looking Remus, and an equally surprised-looking Sirius behind, James stormed out of the room, and emerged in the common room face-to-face with Lily Evans.  
  
---  
  
Well, technically, he wasn't face-to-face with her. He was behind her. She was sitting at one of the round tables in the room with her two friends, Pat and Kat.  
  
"So what are you so upset for, Lily?" the blonde one (Pat) was asking.  
  
"I'm upset because he's a stupid git and he's acting like a stupid git!" Lily growled.  
  
"How else would a stupid git act?" Kat asked, thoughtfully.  
  
Pat rolled her eyes, and Lily glared.  
  
"Sorry," Kat said, making the puppy-dog face.  
  
"I just don't get it, though," Lily said. "I mean, he's being all nice to me and acting sane, right? Then, Remus comes along, so I play this joke on Potter, and . . ." Lily shrugged. "I don't know, then the next minute, he's getting mad, and yelling."  
  
"And you don't know why?" Pat asked.  
  
"Maybe he's jealous?" Kat suggested. Pat nodded in agreement.  
  
"Am not!" James said, marching over to them. "I am NOT jealous! Evans can date whoever she wants!"  
  
"I'm not DATING him! I DON'T fancy Remus!" Lily exclaimed. "And were you SPYING on us?"  
  
"Who's us?" he asked, looking around. Lily looked around, too. Her friends had left that fast.  
  
Lily sighed. "I don't even know. I just . . . what do you want, Potter?"  
  
James hesitated. "Why aren't we on a first name basis?"  
  
Lily stared at him. "You're serious?"  
  
He nodded. "Yeah. We're friends, too, right?"  
  
Lily raised her eyebrows. "I thought we didn't like each other."  
  
"I like you," he said before he could stop himself. 'No, I don't,' he thought.  
  
Lily didn't say anything for a while. "What sort of animagus ARE you?" she finally asked.  
  
---  
  
It was midnight. She really didn't have to tiptoe, after all, she WAS Headgirl, and it was natural for her to patrol the hallways at night. 'Tonight's different, though,' she reminded herself.  
  
Lily crept down the girls' staircase to the common room. "James?" she whispered.  
  
"Right here," he said from in front of her. He suddenly appeared, his invisibility cloak in hand.  
  
"You're using that?" Lily asked.  
  
"We both are," he replied. "More than one person can fit under here."  
  
He covered both of them as soon as they had climbed out of the portrait hole. The fat lady was away, but they weren't concerned about it at the moment.  
  
They started moving and almost subconsciously, Lily grabbed his hand. Surprisingly, he didn't say anything, and they made it outside without running into anyone.  
  
Lily started to stop, but James was still moving . . . towards the forbidden forest.  
  
"Where are we going?" Lily asked, her voice wavering a bit. She tightened her grip on his hand.  
  
"Forbidden Forest," he said nonchalantly. At this, Lily completely stopped.  
  
"Why?" she asked.  
  
"Because someone might see us from the castle," he said. "Don't worry. It's completely safe. I've been in there loads of times."  
  
"Not by yourself!"  
  
"No, and you're not by yourself either. You're with me," James said reassuringly. Lily felt him give her hand a tiny squeeze. Needless to say, she was not very reassured.  
  
She was heading toward the Forbidden Forest in the middle of the night, holding hands with James Potter – a boy with whom she really didn't get along, and all because they had gotten into an argument over a werewolf – an argument that really didn't make any sense in itself. For the millionth time that night, Lily began to question her sanity.  
  
"We're in deep enough," James said, stopping suddenly. He had brought them to a small clearing. He let go of Lily's hand and threw the cloak off of them. Standing there, he seemed to hesitate.  
  
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Lily asked, her voice shaking a little.  
  
James took a deep breath. "Okay, stand back. I'm kind of big when I transform." Lily didn't need telling twice.  
  
She stared at him. He was just standing there. Then, he kind of grinned sheepishly at her. "Could you turn around?" he asked. "Just turn around, and count to ten. I'll be done by then."  
  
Lily obediently turned around. And counted to ten. There was no noise behind her. 'He wouldn't leave me here, would he?' she thought. She had just finished counting, and was debating whether to turn around or not when she felt a nudge in her back.  
  
She spun around. And gasped . . .  
  
---  
  
A/N: I just HAD to end it there! It's a great cliffhanger! I just HAD to, so don't get mad. Get glad! While you're waiting impatiently for the next chapter, you can relax and read "Dilemma," my one-shot featuring that mystery character, Blaise Zabini. You know, the one who was mentioned in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, and then was never mentioned again? I need to know what people think because I'm shallow! Heehee. Just kidding.  
  
PLEASE REVIEW ANYWAY! I'll be your best friend!  
  
Ariana S. 


	7. boo

Tim Knispel: Just out of curiosity, isn't the definition of a cliff-hanger something that makes you want to read more of the story, regardless if you know what's going to happen or not? (And lol – I got the whole Bibbity, Bobbity, Boo thing from DragonballZ I LOVE IT! – I spell "Buu" differently than they do, though)  
  
My "New Best Friends": mandy2cool, anniePADFOOT, and Romulan Empress . . . thanks guys! Your reviews made me laugh!  
  
anniePADFOOT: nope, this fic isn't co-written, but you've definitely seen it before, because I used to have it under a different penname. Did you read it before, then?  
  
Rena the Great: I MADE YOUR FAVORITES LIST??? faints from the shock thinking, "Quick! Someone use Ennervate on me so I can thank this lovely person!"   
  
Disclaimer: I've gotten the last three chapters of titles from DragonballZ, so really, I should be saying that I don't own that either, along with Harry Potter.  
  
Chapter Seven – Boo  
  
Lily obediently turned around. And counted to ten. There was no noise behind her. 'He wouldn't leave me here, would he?' she thought. She had just finished counting, and was debating whether to turn around or not when she felt a nudge in her back.  
  
She spun around. And gasped . . .  
  
---  
  
James was . . . well, he was . . . beautiful. There was simply no other word for it. He was beautiful. Lily stood a step back in awe. He certainly was big, but he was stunning. Gorgeous, even.  
  
"You – you're – " She stopped, not knowing what to say. She couldn't very well tell him he was beautiful. After all, he did still have a human mind. Didn't he?  
  
He was pawing at the ground, but still watching her intently. Lily walked up to him hesitantly. Would he run if she - ? She shook her head. This was James, right?  
  
She lifted a hand up to him, and he walked towards her slowly. He appeared to be sniffing her. She stifled a giggle. James was sniffing her. She looked into his eyes. A normal stag's eyes would be brown, or some color like that . . . but James's were hazel, and so was the stag's.  
  
"Well, you're definitely him," she muttered.  
  
James snorted, as if to say, "Well, duh!"  
  
Lily grinned. "You've even got his cocky personality."  
  
The stag stared at her. "I'm serious!" Lily said. "Look at you. Strutting around like you're the king of the forest. Who would have thought you'd be a stag?"  
  
James tossed his head. Lily laughed. "I still say you'd be better suited as a skunk." She touched him on the head, and James jumped at the sudden contact. Then, he was perfectly still.  
  
"It's really neat, though," Lily whispered, patting him gently.  
  
---  
  
James shivered at her touch, although he was faintly annoyed. She could stand to touch him when he was a stag, but not when he was human? How messed up was that?  
  
'Wait!' he thought. 'Where did that come from? I don't WANT Evans touching me. Do I?' He turned his head to look directly into her eyes. She was still petting him on his back absentmindedly.  
  
What if she really WAS touching him like this – tenderly – as a human? He felt himself get hot at the thoughts. Merlin! He was getting aroused! As a stag! He felt momentarily sick. Then, without warning, he nudged her in the shoulder with his head, and stepped away.  
  
"Ow!" Lily said, rubbing her shoulder. "What did you do that for?"  
  
James hastily turned back into a human. "I'm sorry," he croaked, his voice not being quite normal yet. He waited a few seconds. "Sorry," he tried again.  
  
She looked at him curiously. "What? Is it time to go?"  
  
"Yeah," James replied, carefully not looking at her. "I think we should head back. Don't you?" Without another word, he headed out of the forest, leaving an intensely curious Lily to follow behind him.  
  
---  
  
"How did it go?" Remus asked, watching James's face. James scowled at him.  
  
Sirius yawned, then grinned. "What happened?"  
  
"Nothing," James snapped. "Nothing happened."  
  
"Then, why are you so upset?" Peter asked.  
  
James glared at all of them. "Because you're BOTHERING me!" He stormed out of the dorm and down the stairs, then sat pouting in front of the common room fire.  
  
---  
  
She was running through the Forbidden Forest. Something was chasing her, but she didn't know what it was. She was panting. It was gaining on her. It was gaining –  
  
Out of nowhere, a stag jumped between her and that thing. She stared on in shock, as the stag fought it off, whatever it was. The stag defeated it.  
  
Then it turned around to face her. Her heartbeat sped up. It's eyes were hazel. Just like his . . .  
  
---  
  
Lily woke up with a start, and looked around the room, her eyes finally settling on the alarm clock Pat had bought for their dorm. It was just barely four in the morning. Lily sighed. It had been a week since she went on that little nightly escapade with James, and she had been having nightmares like that ever since. Every time she would be in danger somewhere, then James-Stag would come up and rescue her.  
  
Lily sighed. She had also been avoiding James ever since. She hadn't told Kathryn or Patricia about her little adventure, but she knew they suspected something was up. How could they not? She hadn't exactly been acting normal. In fact, she was pretty jittery. She had overheard Kathryn earlier in the week discussing how coffee overdoses could get to a person. Lily had just shaken her head and passed it off as an "American-transfer-student- thing."  
  
Knowing she wasn't going to go back to sleep, she got up, showered and dressed. By the time she was finished, it was only four-thirty. She sighed, and grabbed a book, then went downstairs into the common room.  
  
"Ooof!" Lily stopped. She had bumped into something, or someone. "Who's there?" she asked, wearily.  
  
A second later, James and Sirius appeared. "Hi," Sirius said, grinning.  
  
Lily sighed. "Sneaking out?"  
  
Sirius frowned. "You gonna tell? Come on, we're hungry!" James was being strangely silent.  
  
Lily started to say something, then shook her head. "Why bother?" she mumbled. "You're just going to do it again, aren't you?"  
  
"Of course," Sirius replied. "Thanks, Evans!" She watched as they re- covered themselves, then continued to watch as the portrait door opened and closed, seemingly of its own accord.  
  
She sighed again, and opened her book. She had read it before. It was about a princess who befriended a horse in an enchanted forest. Then, when the princess was in trouble one day, the horse saved her, and turned into a human. Lily slammed it shut after a few minutes. It sounded too familiar, somehow.  
  
"You're up already?" a soft voice said from behind her.  
  
Lily turned around to face Remus. She smiled. "Yes, I couldn't sleep. You?"  
  
"The same," Remus admitted. He smiled back. "What's that you're reading?"  
  
Lily sighed for the third time. "It's just a made-up story. It's about this horse and this girl who fall in love . . ." She grinned at the look on Remus's face.  
  
"A horse?" he asked, looking faintly green. "With a human?"  
  
"Well, the horse is really a human, too, but she doesn't find out until the end," Lily explained. "It's just a fairy-tale. It doesn't even really make any sense, you know? Animals don't fall in love with people."  
  
A strange look flashed across Remus's face. "If you say so," he replied, looking slightly hurt.  
  
Lily realized what she had just said, and she gasped and covered her mouth. "Oh, Remus! I'm sorry! I didn't mean it like that, I promise."  
  
"I know you didn't," Remus said. "It's just . . . sometimes I think of myself as more a werewolf, than human."  
  
"I don't think so," Lily said. "You're the most human out of all of us."  
  
"How so?" he asked, one of his eyebrows lifting up slightly.  
  
"You're the nicest," Lily remarked, grinning at him.  
  
Remus smiled back. "Well, of course," he said smugly. "I have to be. Who else would keep Sirius and James in line?"  
  
Lily laughed. "Yeah, I know. If anyone, they're the animals," she said.  
  
He grinned. "Tell me about it." After the laughter died down, and Lily was trying to catch her breath, Remus said, "So, do you still think people and animals can't fall in love?"  
  
"I guess they can," Lily muttered. "You know, you have a strange way of turning things around."  
  
"It's a part of my charm," he said, standing up, and offering a hand to her.  
  
She shook her head. "How so?" she asked, in confusion.  
  
Remus grinned. "You know, the way I get people to change their minds without having to resort to an argument."  
  
"I suppose," Lily said, thoughtfully. "It's a good idea."  
  
"Yes, it is," Remus said. "Now, I don't suppose you know where Sirius and James went off to?"  
  
Lily nodded. "They went to the kitchens. Said they were hungry."  
  
"And you let them go? Just like that?" Remus asked, looking surprised.  
  
He looked so shocked that Lily blushed a little. "Well . . ." she hedged.  
  
Remus shook his head. "My dear Lily, I think you may be growing soft."  
  
Lily turned even redder. "No," she insisted. "It's the fairy-tale. It's making me mushy."  
  
"The fairy-tale is making you mushy?" Remus asked, rolling his eyes. "That's completely believable."  
  
"You know, MOONY, you can be fairly annoying when you want to be," Lily scowled. "Does that come with your charm, too?"  
  
"Yes," Remus said, after pretending to think for a bit. "It does."  
  
They both laughed. Neither of them noticed the portrait hole open, or James and Sirius creep through in the invisibility cloak. And no one noticed that James's fists were clenched inside the cloak.  
  
---  
  
James stared at her from across the History of Magic classroom. There she was sitting there, between her friends, Kat and Pat. She appeared to be listening, and taking notes, but James had been watching her long enough to tell that she was passing all of her notes to her friends, so they weren't exactly classroom notes.  
  
He wished he could see what she had written. From the way she was blushing, he guessed it was about a guy. Then, again, her friends were blushing, too.  
  
"Hey, James, you okay?" Sirius whispered, tapping him on the shoulder.  
  
"Fine," James said quickly. He removed his eyes from Lily Evans. "I'm fine."  
  
James stared at her again in Potions. Did anyone else notice the way her hair swung whenever she turned her head? Or how prettily she raised her hand to answer a question? Or how her eyes snapped with annoyance every time Sirius threw bits of paper at Patricia, then pretended to look innocent when the girl turned around to grin at him?  
  
"Does Evans look different to you?" he asked Remus quietly on their way to the Great Hall for lunch.  
  
Remus shook his head. "No. Why? Did she cut her hair or something?"  
  
James shook his head. "No, I just – " He stopped, mortified. He had been about to say, 'No, I just started realizing how pretty she was, and I wanted to know if anyone else had noticed.'  
  
"What?" Remus asked.  
  
"Nothing," James said quickly.  
  
"Hey, let's sit over there!" Sirius said, pointing to the end of the Gryffindor table, where Pat, Kat, and Lily sat.  
  
James turned slightly red. "Why?"  
  
"Because!" Sirius said, tugging James along with him. "I wanna sit there, that's why!"  
  
"Stop it," Remus said quietly. "You two look strange." James glanced back at him, and was surprised when Remus's face was slightly red as well.  
  
So, the three boys went over and sat down. Remus was across from Kathryn, Sirius was across from Patricia, and James was across from Lily. The boys were busy talking/flirting with their significant others, so James stared at Lily until she finally looked up.  
  
"Hi," she said, gazing into his eyes.  
  
"Hi," he replied, wishing he weren't here, doing this. "So, uh, how's life?"  
  
She gave him a strange look. "It's okay," she replied. "Yours?"  
  
"Couldn't be better," he said in a strangled voice. 'What is wrong with me?' he thought. 'This is Evans! Pull yourself together, man!'  
  
They didn't say anything for a while. She seemed to be debating whether to say something, or not. Finally she choked out, "You're a really pretty stag."  
  
James felt his face getting hot. "Thanks," he replied, thinking, 'You're a really pretty person.'  
  
They avoided each other for the rest of the day.  
  
---  
  
A/N: and the question I always ask – WHAT DID YOU ALL THINK??? 


	8. da ba dee

A/N: THIS STORY HAS CAUGHT UP IN REVIEWS WITH "Something Like Deception" AND THAT ONE HAS MORE CHAPTERS! I don't know whether to be happy about this, or not. So many things to say, so little time but YOU ALL have taken the time to review so I'm going to take the time and reply to EVERYONE this time! IF I LEFT YOU OUT, THEN TELL ME!!! (I'm going in order.)  
  
Nikki: I UPDATED! I UPDATED!  
  
Rena the Great: You WOULD? That's so sweet! And no, it hasn't changed to my knowledge. Still only one review per chapter.  
  
bubblesara: Hey that's cute! It rhymes!  
  
Amorette: Here's more! Soon enough for you?  
  
anniePADFOOT: SoulAvenger. My old name was SoulAvenger. I'm glad you found me again!  
  
megan: heehee, glad you thought it was so funny!  
  
Tim Knispel: But were you itching to know what happens next? If you were, that makes it a cliffhanger anyway! Heehee, I win! Yeah, I completely forgot about the whole Cinderella thing! It WAS in there, wasn't it? The fairy godmother sang it, right? Glad you noticed the punctuation and spelling! Thanks! (Is Knispel your real last name? That's cool!)  
  
mione-xavier: Happy to know that you think it's sweet! And you're absolutely right about his eyes. They ARE hazel! And I knew that – how did I screw that up? (wonders off muttering )  
  
sarah warder: I'm happy that I make you happy!  
  
Revi: I know! I love when James is jealous, too! And I also think James WOULD be a beautiful stag, don't you? I haven't read a story that mentioned how he looked as a stag before, so I decided to put in my own opinion for Lily's.  
  
oye!: Yes it is new, isn't it? (laughter, laughter) Hey, is that your real penname? It's cute.  
  
crazy4padfoot: I UPDATED! WOO HOO! I'm glad you liked the dark forest part! And I'm sorry about the lack of Sirius action. It IS a Lily/James story, though, but I'll still try to add little tidbits of Siriusness in there. Heehee.  
  
Animalluvr75: Thanks! Will do!  
  
Jinger: Yep, a "really pretty person"! You're the third person that's said that! I guess people really liked that part, huh? And I'll try to update more often, but I only have about an hour on the computer everyday, and I like longer chapters opposed to shorter ones. Glad you like it, though.  
  
DreamWarrior: Oooh! I love your penname! Don't worry, no one will die! Yeah, the 5th book really shook me up. I get into reading and writing so much that it feels like I am really experiencing the characters feelings and everything, so when that incident occurred, I was actually depressed for awhile. People were telling me, "It's just a story! It's not real!" But it was real to me. THANKS FOR ADDING ME TO YOUR FAVORITES LISTS! That makes me so happy! And no, you'll be glad to know that I won't quit half way! Glad to know that you liked certain elements like the first chapter, too. I was worried it might upset some people, but so far, only one person has really complained. I'm definitely more of a Remus fan, too. He's my absolute favorite! If you haven't already, then read "Dancing with a Werewolf." That story is all about Remus.  
  
Disclaimer: (whew) not mine.  
  
Chapter Eight – Da Ba Dee  
  
Lily gazed thoughtfully down Gryffindor table in the Marauders' direction. "You know, I've never ridden a horse . . ." she said, dreamily.  
  
Kat and Pat exchanged looks, and then looked back at Lily. "I have," Kat announced. "It's not all it's cracked up to be."  
  
"Nuts crack, don't they?" Lily said in that same dreamy voice, still staring down the table.  
  
"Uh, yes," Pat replied, raising her eyebrows. "Yes they do."  
  
"Do you think riding a deer would be any different?" Lily asked, vaguely.  
  
"A DEER? You're joking, right?" Pat said. Again, she caught Kat's eye and this time they both followed Lily's line of vision down the table.  
  
Kat gasped. "Oh, I get it!"  
  
"What are you talking about?" Lily asked, snapping out of the dreamy voice and refocusing her attention on her two best friends. There was something about their voices and those sneaky smiles that made her want to put her guard up.  
  
"That's what I'd like to know," Kat said, grinning.  
  
Pat raised her eyebrows even higher. "Oh, we're just admiring your gawking skills."  
  
"Gawking skills?" Kat asked, turning toward Pat, a confused expression on her face. "Don't you mean observation skills?"  
  
"Nope, she was definitely gawking," Pat answered.  
  
"WHAT are you talking about?" Lily repeated, feeling her face get hot. She had a pretty good idea . . .  
  
"Hon, it's not that hard to see that you're obviously infatuated with a certain Marauder by the name of James Potter," Pat said.  
  
Lily turned purple. "Why – th-that's preposterous!" she exclaimed, standing up. "I am not INFATUATED with anyone!" she hissed.  
  
Heads turned to stare at them and Lily blushed furiously. "Obsessed, then?" Kat suggested.  
  
"Good word," Pat nodded.  
  
"I don't know what this is about," Lily retorted in a dangerously low voice. "But it's silly. I am NOT 'into' Potter. I was just . . . talking about horses. I like horses. Horses are nice."  
  
"Okay, sure," Pat said, clearly unconvinced.  
  
"Honestly," Lily said, frustrated. "Can't I say something without it having a hidden meaning behind it?"  
  
"I'm sure you can," Kat said. "But you rarely do."  
  
Lily threw her hands up in the air. "I've had enough of you two! I'm going outside!" She stormed away angrily.  
  
Kat and Pat sighed in unison, then they both burst out laughing. Teasing Lily was so much fun. Together, they stood and went to join the Marauders sitting farther down the table.  
  
---  
  
James had left the table as soon as Evans' friends arrived. He liked them and everything, but he hated feeling like a seventh wheel. Sirius was so obviously into Pat, although he tried to deny it, Remus was head over heels for Kat, and all through breakfast Peter had been talking with a sixth year brunette. Sighing at his own unfortunate love life, James decided to take a walk. He was heading towards the front doors of the school when he spotted Evans disappearing through them herself.  
  
He hesitated. Now, what if he went and she thought he was following her? He didn't want her to think he was a stalker or anything. He shook his head. 'Wait. Why should I care what Evans thinks?'  
  
Making up his mind, he followed her out the door, but to his disappointment, when he got out there, she was nowhere in sight. He sighed. "Figures," he said aloud.  
  
"Talking to yourself is a bad habit," a silky voice replied from behind him.  
  
James jumped, then spun around glaring. "Snivellus," he said, narrowing his eyes. "What brings you out here?"  
  
Snape shrugged, then he smiled. James stared at him. Since, when did Snivellus SMILE? It was unnerving. "I bet I know what you're doing out here, though," he said evilly. "Stalking Evans?"  
  
James turned bright red. "I am not! I don't STALK anyone!" he said, angrily. "And it's none of your business, anyhow!"  
  
Snape shrugged again. "Perhaps it isn't," he replied, smoothly. James blinked at him. Since when did Snivellus AGREE with him?  
  
"Excuse me?" James said. He was pretty much confused by the whole idea of even having a conversation with this guy in the first place. Usually they just hexed each other, with James usually coming out on top, and then they went about their way.  
  
"Are you a complete dunderhead, Potter?" Snape replied, smirking. "Are you really that thick?"  
  
"What?" James said, clenching his fists, "are you TALKING about?"  
  
"Do I honestly have to clarify it for you?" Snape said, smirking at him. "Merlin, Potter . . ."  
  
"Listen, you! You better start talking right now, or else - !"  
  
"Tsk tsk, Potter. Patience is a virtue," Snape said. He was obviously enjoying watching James squirm.  
  
James shook his head. "Why am I even talking to you? You're wasting my – "  
  
"It's about Evans," Snape interrupted.  
  
James stopped and turned back around. "What about her?" he growled.  
  
"So you do fancy her, then," Snape said, thoughtfully. "Interesting, seeing as how she feels about you."  
  
James glowered at him, while inwardly trying to stop himself from clobbering the git. "How would you know how she feels?" he growled. "You don't know anything about her! And I don't fancy Evans! I don't even LIKE her!"  
  
"You don't?" a soft voice asked from behind both of them.  
  
James felt an ice block sink into the pit of his stomach. "L-Lily – " he stammered.  
  
The look on her face was torn between hurt and confusion. James felt awful. And meanwhile, stupid Snivellus was standing there looking happier than he had looked in days.  
  
"You don't like me?" Lily repeated, with that same pained expression on her face. James thought he saw tears well up in her eyes. He stared at her, wishing he could take it back in a way she'd understand.  
  
"Well? Answer her, Potter," Snape said, smiling again. "Tell her how you feel about her. Tell her what you told me. How you don't like her, how everything you've got going with her right now is just a joke between you and your stupid friends – "  
  
Lily looked as if she'd been slapped in the face. "Is that true?" she whispered.  
  
James shook his head, desperately. "No! I was just saying that I – that I . . . Lily, you don't understand – "  
  
"I understand," Lily said, quietly. "I understand just fine." She turned around and walked away, tears sliding silently down her face. James watched her go, helpless to do anything.  
  
By the time he turned back around, ready to murder Snape, he had already gone.  
  
---  
  
"I don't understand it," Kathryn said later in the Gryffindor common room. She shook her head. "She was perfectly happy this morning. She was going on about horses and deer and she was fine."  
  
"What?" James said. "Horses . . . and deer?"  
  
Kathryn nodded. "Mmhmm." She smiled. "She was wondering if riding a deer would be any different than riding a horse."  
  
James swallowed. "Oh," was all he could think of to say.  
  
"I don't think it would be any different, really. I mean, as long as the deer was strong enough to hold her up," Kathryn said, thoughtfully.  
  
"Right," James said, taking a deep breath. "Well, um, could you ask her if she'd come down? I really need to talk to her."  
  
Kathryn shook her head again. "I'd ask her, but I know she's going to say no, so it's pointless. Hey, you don't think she'd need a saddle to ride a deer, do you?"  
  
"What?" James said again, running his hand through his hair. He was thoroughly exasperated by this time.  
  
"I don't think she'd need one. She could hold on to its antlers, right?" Kathryn asked.  
  
This conversation was really starting to make him uncomfortable.  
  
"Right," he agreed, backing away toward the male dormitories. Kathryn didn't seem to notice. She just reburied her nose in the book she'd been reading earlier: A YOUNG WIZARD/WITCHES GUIDE TO A FUTURE TEACHING CAREER by: Electica Morvoul.  
  
---  
  
"So then she said she's never ridden a horse," James said later to Sirius, Remus, and Peter.  
  
"What's that got to do with anything? A lot of people have never ridden horses," Remus said, shrugging. "It's not a big deal."  
  
"It is if you're thinking of substituting . . . oh, say, a STAG instead," James finished.  
  
"What?" Remus said, raising his eyebrows.  
  
"What?" Peter repeated, puzzled.  
  
Realization dawned in Sirius' eyes. "What? She wants to RIDE you?" Sirius asked, smirking. Everyone was silent for a moment.  
  
Remus finally sighed. "Honestly, Padfoot, must you interpret everything as having some kind of sexual meaning?"  
  
"If I didn't, I wouldn't be me," Sirius replied, grinning. Remus rolled his eyes.  
  
"It is kind of strange, though, isn't it?" James asked, anxiously. "Well?" he demanded when no one said anything. Peter shrugged.  
  
"Sure . . . it's strange," Remus said. "But it does have its possibilities."  
  
James shot him a disgusted look. "But it's WEIRD."  
  
"Yeah, it's weird. But that doesn't deny the fact that you DO want to do it," Sirius said, knowingly.  
  
James blushed slightly. "Okay, say, um, HYPOTHETICALLY, I DID want to do it . . . don't you think it's a weird question to ask her? And what makes you think she'll say yes? HYPOTHETICALLY speaking, of course."  
  
Sirius started smirking again, and Remus just looked uncomfortable. "Well . . . not really. I mean, she's the one who brought it up," he said, logically.  
  
"Just not in front of you," Peter pointed out, causing Sirius to glare at him and mouth, "Shut it."  
  
"So, what would I say? HYPOTHETICALLY, if I were going to ask her?" James asked, ignoring them both. "Should I just walk up to her and say, 'Oh, sorry, Evans. Turns out I do like you after all, and to make it up to you, how about I let you ride me?'"  
  
Sirius could barely contain his laughter. "Sounds a tad arrogant to me," he said, trying to keep a straight face.  
  
Remus nodded. "Maybe if you changed the wording?" he said, smiling.  
  
James shook his head. "It's not going to work, anyways," he muttered.  
  
---  
  
"Hey, Lily?" she heard HIM say hesitantly from behind her. He had been trying to catch her eye all during History of Magic, and she had been skillfully avoiding him.  
  
She walked faster down the corridor. "Lily!" he called. "Lily, come back and talk to me, will you?"  
  
She spun around and faced him. "What?" she snapped. "What do you want?" 'And why are you still calling me Lily?' she thought.  
  
"I-I want to apologize," he said, swallowing. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that – what I said before. I do like you. I was just mad at Snivellus - er - Snape, and um, I messed up."  
  
"Yes, you did," she said, softening a bit. He was staring at her. She sighed. "Is that all, Potter?"  
  
Something flashed in his eyes when she said this. "I thought we were on a first name basis?" he asked, looking slightly hurt.  
  
Something like a smile flittered across her face. "James," she corrected softly.  
  
He grinned. "Do you forgive me then?"  
  
Her smile disappeared. "No," she said shortly. Then, she spun around and started walking again.  
  
"Wait, Lily . . ." He touched her arm.  
  
She turned around with a raised eyebrow. "Yes?"  
  
He took a deep breath. "I, urm, I heard you like horses."  
  
She nodded. "Yes, I do."  
  
"I heard you've never ridden a horse," he continued, hesitantly.  
  
"Where is this going?" she asked.  
  
"You know, stags are a lot like horses," he said, swallowing.  
  
---  
  
There was a long silence in which she just stared at him and tried to find her voice. 'Is he suggesting what I think he's suggesting . . .?' she thought.  
  
"What are you trying to say?" she finally asked. Her voice came out as a dry whisper.  
  
"You could ride . . . um, Prongs," James said. He was staring at the floor, blushing, and clearly waiting for her to say something. The problem was Lily wasn't sure what to say.  
  
"I'm, uh, I'm afraid of heights," she managed.  
  
"He wouldn't let you fall," James said quickly. He corrected himself. "I'D never let you fall."  
  
A small smile graced her features once again. Should she say yes? Sure, he wasn't a horse, but, well . . . she could always hang on to his antlers or something. And he said he wouldn't let her fall . . .  
  
She took a deep breath. Again Lily began to question her sanity as she said, "Okay."  
  
---  
  
A/N: Everyone who wants to ride James, raise you hand! (blushes) Only me? What's WITH you people! Haha, just kidding!  
  
Review Please!  
  
Ariana S. 


	9. da ba da

A/N: OH MY GRACIOUS GOODNESS!!!! I have over a hundred reviews ALREADY? And that was only the 8th chapter! Not that I'm complaining . . . It's just (teary eyes) you all are the best!  
  
Jinger: Oh, oops! Was the romance taking too long for you? heehee. Sorry! And I'm glad you like the plot!  
  
Angel Black1: Hi! Haven't heard from you in a few chapters . . . Thanks. I really work hard when it comes to characterizing and humanizing my characters. Well, heh, not MY characters, but you know what I mean. So thanks!  
  
animalluvr75: Thanks! I'm glad you were amused. And yes, a few other people have told me that. Heehee. I like to be original! Did you notice, tho, that I try to make the titles go with the chapters? Hmm, maybe I'm not doing it very well . . . Oh well, at least they're amusing.  
  
Lyss: Sexual innuendo? (looks innocent) Well, I was talking about the STAG, not the HUMAN! Haha . . .  
  
Sarah Warder: Whoa. Calm down. I assure you will get your turn to ride all of them. I'm sure no one would object . . . Well, maybe Remus would. Heehee!  
  
anniePADFOOT: Quite alright. I get lazy sometimes too! Yes, Sirius is a bit predictable, isn't he? Thanks a lot!  
  
Nikki: I know this really good personal trainer . . . Heehee! Thanks!  
  
shrk-bait: Thanks a lot! It means so much to me! And please write more of your story! It's really good!  
  
Kerichi: Oh, but I like to see them suffer (whines). Oh, well, you're right! Thank you. I'm glad you like it!  
  
libyanauthor: Me too! Me too! Thanks a lot! Different is a good thing!  
  
Quiteona: Don't thank me; I loved reading it! Your fic was wonderful! Please write more in the VERY NEAR future! And thank you so much!  
  
patty: Thanks mucho!  
  
Mary Jane Black: Oh, you dirty dirty girl! Heehee!  
  
chalicity: I REALLY like your penname. It just rolls off of my tongue . . . Heehee, I was TOO entertained when I wrote it, so I'm glad you enjoyed! And thanks for the cookie! (It was chocolate chip, right?)  
  
sunni07: So would I! WHAT? YOUR FAVORITES LIST??? REALLY? (tears well up in eyes) THANK YOU SO MUCH!  
  
bubblesara: That's so cute! Thanks a lot!  
  
Revi: Heehee. You quoted me. And about that whole riding thing . . . Yeah, looks like there's a waiting list . . . lol – Snape with greasy monkeys! Hilarious! (although I do kinda like him a little)  
  
holly-evans: Thank you! Did you read it all in one go?  
  
jess131346: Glad you loved it! Although, you're another one that's rather dirty . . .  
  
COME ON, PEOPLE! I MEANT THE STAG, NOT THE PERSON! (LOL, yeah right. Am I really that transparent?)

---  
  
Disclaimer: It's kind of obvious by now.  
  
Chapter Nine – Da Ba Da  
  
"She said, yes!?" Sirius exclaimed, in shock. He pretended to faint, and fell over backwards out of his chair, landing on an equally shocked-looking Peter.  
  
Remus shook his head in disbelief, "Are you serious?"  
  
"No, I am!" Sirius said, apparently having recovered. He grinned at James as Remus rolled his eyes at the lame joke.  
  
James motioned for them to be quiet. A few of their classmates were looking at them rather curiously, but up front (where Lily and her friends sat) Professor McGonagall hadn't yet noticed.  
  
James lowered his voice to a whisper. "Yeah, I'm serious. She said, yes." He grinned. "You think that means she's forgiven me?"  
  
"Possibly," Remus said, smiling.  
  
"I thought you didn't like Evans," Peter interrupted. "I thought you two argued all the time. Now you guys are dating?"  
  
James glared at him ferociously. "I am NOT dating Evans, Pete!"  
  
"James," Remus said, a warning note in his voice, "M-maybe you should lower – "  
  
"But you hang out with her all the time, now," Peter pointed out. "And you always blush whenever any of us says her name, just like Sirius does whenever there's a girl around that he fancies."  
  
"Peter – " Remus whispered.  
  
"I do not blush!" Sirius insisted, his cheeks beginning to color. "Don't bring me into this! Just because James plainly fancies Evans - !"  
  
"Sirius!" Remus hissed.  
  
"I DON'T FANCY EVANS!" James exclaimed. His face was beginning to resemble a tomato.  
  
"Mr. Potter!" Professor McGonagall's angry voice came from right beside him.  
  
James froze, then inched his head to look up at his seething teacher. He smiled, sheepishly.  
  
"I'm sure Ms. Evans will be brokenhearted enough as it is to know that you don't fancy her, but really, is there a need to shout it to the heavens while you are located in my classroom!?" she said, angrily.  
  
James turned bright red. Had he really been talking that loud? He peered around where Lily sat, and saw that her face was as crimson as Sirius's was, and she was staring down at her desk. Apparently so.  
  
"Sorry, Professor," he said, meekly. "It won't happen again."  
  
"Ten points from Gryffindor for interrupting my class."  
  
---  
  
Lily stared down at her desk, feeling more embarrassed than ever. She had given up listening to Professor McGonagall, and she was now fervently wishing for the class to be over.  
  
After what seemed to be an hour, but was really only ten minutes, the last class of the day was released, and without waiting for her friends, Lily was the first one out of the door. She headed straight to the common room, opting to go down for dinner once everyone else was done.  
  
She sighed, after having settled herself down on one of the couches. "I don't know why I ever got involved with Potter, anyway," she whispered to herself.  
  
"Lily, sweetums, why aren't you down at dinner with your knight in shining armor?" Sirius's voice floated down to her from above.  
  
Lily jerked her head up and stared at him. He was grinning down at her from the top of the couch. Lily glared. "He is NOT my knight in shining armor, Black. He doesn't fancy me, remember?"  
  
Sirius smiled. "So it the love one-sided, then?"  
  
Lily turned purple. "What!? That's ridiculous! I'm not in love with him! Black, this is Potter! James Potter! We argue all the time, it's impossible for us to get along, he's got the mind of a two-year-old – "  
  
"- and the body of a god?" Sirius finished.  
  
Lily gaped at him. Sirius grinned and waggled his eyebrows. "You tend to notice things in those showers," he said, suggestively.  
  
"That's gross!" she exclaimed. "You stare at your friends in the shower!?"  
  
Sirius frowned. "No. I don't stare. I just kind of . . . look . . . for a very long time, without blinking."  
  
"Are you serious!?" she said, looking a bit sick. "Wait, don't answer that. I don't want to know." She got up off the couch and headed for the portrait hole.  
  
"Where are you going?" Sirius asked, confused. "I haven't described Remus, yet!"  
  
"Dinner," Lily said, disgustedly. "Anything's better than sitting here, and listening to you talk about your ogling habits!"  
  
Sirius grinned as he watched her walk away, then he headed up to his dormitory. "Good," he said to himself, as he collected all of the fireworks he could find. "Better to have no witnesses."  
  
He whistled as he walked back down to the common room and made his way through the portrait hole. "After all, what's dinner without pretty lights?"  
  
---  
  
James waited nervously by the portrait hole clad in his invisibility cloak. It was twenty passed ten and Lily hadn't shown yet. It wasn't like her to be late for anything. James sighed. 'You prick!' he thought to himself. 'You've gone and mucked it all up! She's not coming, now.'  
  
Dejectedly, he whipped the cloak off, and headed up to the boys' dormitories. He pushed the door open and was greeted by his friends' confused faces.  
  
"Why are you here?" Peter asked.  
  
Sirius and Remus frowned. "Back so soon?" Sirius said.  
  
James nodded. Without a word, he avoided their questioning gazes, and headed towards his bed.  
  
---  
  
Lily checked her watch, and her stomach flipped over. It was twenty past the time she was supposed to meet James, and her dorm mates were STILL awake. They were lying there, talking and giggling to each other. Lily silently cursed them.  
  
She slid out of bed, and started to walk towards the door, hoping they wouldn't notice her leaving. Fat chance.  
  
"Where are you going, Lils?" Kat asked, grinning.  
  
"Sneaking out to meet a guy!" a giggly roommate of hers, said.  
  
Lily scowled. "Not in your wildest dreams," she retorted, her face burning. "I simply can't sleep, so I'm going to go read for a while."  
  
"Without a book?" Pat asked, grinning.  
  
"I left one down in the common room," Lily lied, stiffly.  
  
The girls all rolled their eyes. "Have fun, luv!" Pat said, waving as Lily left the room.  
  
Lily flew down the stairs, hoping against hope that James was still there, and that he didn't think she was standing him up or anything. She stopped at the bottom of the stairs, and looked around the common room. No one.  
  
'But that doesn't mean anything,' she told herself. 'He could always be under his invisibility cloak, or something.'  
  
"Potter!" she whispered, as loudly as she dared. "James! Are you in here?" She waited. There was no answer.  
  
She crossed the common room and peered up the boys' staircases. "James?" she said, softly. She took a deep breath and started to climb the stairs. 'This is so against the rules,' she thought.  
  
It was dark in the boys' hallway. Other than that, it looked exactly like the girls' dormitories. Except, it was the opposite. So Lily had a pretty good idea where the Marauders' dormitory would be.  
  
Taking another deep breath, she continued to climb the stairs until she came to a closed door with a sign on it that read, "Enter at your own risk. Don't say we didn't warn you." She smiled. It was Remus's handwriting.  
  
She knocked on the door after a moment's hesitation. For a second, she thought she heard whispering inside, and then everything was quiet. A moment later, the door was yanked open by a shirtless Sirius. He grinned when he saw that it was Lily, and his grin widened when she blushed.  
  
"Why, hello there, beautiful," he said, still smiling. "I suppose you're here for a ride?" He started laughing at his own joke.  
  
"Not funny," Lily snapped. "Do you know how wrong that sounds?"  
  
"Yes," he said, without hesitation, still laughing.  
  
He was annoying her, greatly. "Black, are you going to get James, or just stand there and laugh at me all night?" Lily asked, irritated.  
  
"You must really want that ride, huh?" Sirius grinned.  
  
Lily glared at him, and then suddenly pushed past him into the room. "Hey!" he said, caught off guard.  
  
"Lily?" Remus asked, looking up from a book he was reading. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Hi," she said, tightly, surveying the room. There were four beds. Peter was sitting in one, another (which she assumed was Sirius's) had candy all over it, and Remus was laying on his stomach reading a book on one. The fourth one had the curtains drawn around it. The floor was covered in clothes and all sorts of things that weren't allowed, and recognizable from Zonko's Joke Shop.  
  
"Is James here?" she asked, hesitating a bit.  
  
"Yeah," Remus said. "He's in there. I think he's asleep, though."  
  
"Oh," she said, trying to hide her disappointment. "Did he – did he mention anything about meeting me tonight?"  
  
Remus, Sirius, and Peter all exchanged furtive glances. They weren't quite sure what to say. Finally, Sirius went over to James's curtains and pulled them back, revealing a wide-awake surprised-looking (and also shirtless) James. "Hey!" he exclaimed.  
  
"Were you awake this whole time?" Remus asked, incredulously.  
  
James didn't answer him. Instead, his gaze slid to Lily, who was looking rather uncomfortable by this time. "Hey, Lily," he said, also feeling uncomfortable because of his roommates eyes on them. "I thought you decided not to come."  
  
"My roommates were holding me up. I had to wait for them to fall asleep," she said, gazing at him. She suddenly blushed, and stared at the floor. "I'm Headgirl, you know. I can't just go sneaking off into the night to meet a guy."  
  
"Oh," James said, for lack of anything better to say. "Right. Well, do you want to go now, then?"  
  
"Actually," she said, glancing around the room. "I think . . . I should just go back to bed. There is a test tomorrow, you know. Charms." Her face was flushed. It seemed like she was trying to avoid eye contact with him. "See you," said, practically racing for the door.  
  
Sirius leaned out and called, "If you don't want to ride James, Evans, I'm always available!"  
  
"Shut it, Padfoot!" James said, angrily, his face turning red again. "Why do you always have to do that?"  
  
"Do what, mate?" Sirius said. "I'm just trying to get you to admit that you LIKE her. It would make everyone's lives a lot easier." Remus and Peter both nodded their agreement.  
  
James rolled his eyes and lay back down on his bed. "Whatever, Sirius."  
  
---  
  
"So, who's the guy?" a girl named Andrea asked Lily the next morning, causing her to choke on her pumpkin juice. Kat thumped her on the back.  
  
"What guy?" Lily said, staring at Andrea.  
  
Andrea grinned, and was soon joined by a girl named Holly.  
  
"Hey, Lily!" Holly said, smiling. "Is it a habit of yours to sneak up to the boys' dormitories in the middle of the night?"  
  
Lily's froze. "What are you talking about?" she said, trying to breathe.  
  
"A first year girl was on her way down to the common room last night," Pat informed Lily. She had just joined the table. "She left something on one of the tables, and apparently she saw you heading up the to the boys' dormitories. I would have told you this morning, but you split before we were up."  
  
"Oooh! Going to meet your lover this morning, too?" Holly said, beaming.  
  
"No!" Lily said. "I don't have a lover! This is stupid. She can't have seen me last night, because . . . because I wasn't – "  
  
"You definitely went down to the common room a little before that," Kat said. "We watched you leave." Her other roommates all agreed.  
  
"That doesn't mean I was sneaking up to the boys' dormitories. How do you know I wasn't sitting facing the fire, or something? Those chair backs are pretty high," Lily argued. She stood up and started to gather her things to leave.  
  
"Where are you going?" Andrea asked. "Class doesn't start for another forty- five minutes."  
  
"Probably to meet her secret lover!" Holly screamed. The other girls, save for Kat and Pat, all shrieked in glee.  
  
Lily rolled her eyes. "Honestly! I don't have a lover! You're making things up!" she hurried out of the Great Hall before anyone else could say anything to her.  
  
---  
  
"Sirius! Did you hear?" a blonde looking Hufflepuff ran up to Sirius and draped herself around him, much to the fury of Pat sitting farther down the Gryffindor table.  
  
Sirius, however, didn't appear to notice. "Did I hear what?" he asked, making no attempt to remove the girl from around him.  
  
"Lily Evans is having a secret affair!" the girl screeched. "Isn't that romantic?"  
  
Across from Sirius, James started to choke on his food, and Remus thumped him on the back. "What?" Sirius asked, trying to distract the girl from James. "How do you know that?"  
  
The girl turned her bright blue eyes back to Sirius. "Well, last night, someone saw her sneaking up to the boys' dormitories. No one knows what dormitory she went in, though. It's a mystery! And she refuses to tell anyone."  
  
"That doesn't necessarily mean she's having an affair," Remus pointed out.  
  
The girl glared. "It doesn't mean she ISN'T," she said. "And how would you know?" the girl asked, curiously. Her eyes suddenly widened. "Unless YOU'RE the guy she's having the affair with!"  
  
Remus turned scarlet. "Wh-what? No, I'm not!"  
  
"You WOULD deny it!" the girl shrieked.  
  
Sirius laughed and James was pissed. The girl looked absolutely delighted, and Peter and Remus each looked equally stunned. "Listen here, you!" James said, grabbing her arm before she could wander off and tell all of her friends. "Lily Evans is NOT having an affair with Remus, that much I can assure you."  
  
"So is it you, then?" the girl demanded to know.  
  
"NO!" James shouted, exasperatedly. "She's not having an affair at all!"  
  
"Then, why was she sneaking up to the boys' dormitories, huh? Answer me that!" the girl said, triumphantly.  
  
James glared at her. "It's none of your business!" he snapped.  
  
"Yours, neither!" the girl argued.  
  
"It is, too, mine! She was coming to visit ME!" As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted saying them. "No . . . that's- that's not what I meant . . ."  
  
"WHAT!?" the girl gasped. Twisting her arm from James's grasp, she ran off towards the Hufflepuff table.  
  
James watched her go, his panic level rising. His stomach was clenched with nerves.  
  
"Wow, Prongs," Peter said. "You've really put your foot in it this time."  
  
James groaned, putting his head in his hands. What would Lily do when she found out?  
  
---  
  
A/N: Aww, all of you who were looking forward to Lily riding James, I'm sorry! This was part of the plotline. She'll ride him eventually, okay, and I promise you you'll like it when she does. I was looking forward to it, too, but then this idea struck me, and I just had to write it down . . .  
  
Anyways, Review Please!  
  
Ariana S.


	10. abra

A/N: I'm a wee bit upset right now. I've found over the years that writing helps me vent. So if this chapter is too emotional, lemme know, and I'll redo it. Thanks a bunch!  
  
Nikki: Purple Headed Leprechauns? (looks scared) I'm afraid now.  
  
Angel Black1: (slaps your hand) Bad Girl! (raises eyebrows) What? You told me to!  
  
bubblesara: You'll see!  
  
shrkbait: Yes! The girl will gossip! Because that is what girls like her do. Hufflepuffs! Bleah! I can't stand them!  
  
Jinger: Heh! Well he has . . . Silly boy.  
  
WolfishGrin34: Glad you like it! Thank you!  
  
Toe-taly-skrewed: I love your penname! Happy you like it!  
  
Lyss: A little waiting never hurt anyone . . . And (sigh) you caught me! Mwahahahaha! It was the human! The human all the way! Mwahahahaha!  
  
animalluvr75: Thank you! And she will definitely ride the stag . . .  
  
anniePADFOOT: (wipes away a tear) You logged in! I'm so proud of you! Haha . . . Yeah, the Sirius-shower thing – I'm glad you liked it! I thought it was funny, too . . . I was actually laughing out loud as I was typing it. (My family thinks I'm insane, now, but we're really all a bunch of cracking nuts)  
  
Quiteona: Creative genious? (blushes) Well, hey, thanks! And yes, Lily will DEFINITELY still ride James . . . I'm glad you really liked that!  
  
Kerichi: Heehee, I like how you say that you think Sirius is 'doggedly' trying to get Lily and James together. Made me smile. I figured Lily would be a little grossed out by that because of the way I'd been writing her. I try to put myself in the character's shoes to determine their reactions, so I'm glad you like the way I'm portraying them. Yup, the story will be long enough for her to loosen up . . . (Of course, after she takes that ride) Heehee.  
  
libyanauthor: I read your review and it made me laugh hysterically. Were you hyper when you wrote that? Because that reminds me of when I'm hyper. Anyhoo, you'll see what James will do. And how Lily will react!  
  
sunni07: (sighs happily) Thanks again for putting me on your fave list. And don't worry. James shall eventually stop digging that hole, figure out that he's going the wrong way about everything, turn around and emerge on top. (Like the good guys always do!)  
  
Revi: I like them, too! Glad you like Sirius's character!  
  
Mary-Jane Black: Because, my dear, James is a stubborn mule. And he hasn't quite realized it, yet.  
  
holly-evans: I can! I can! Because I wrote it! heehee, Thanks a lot!  
  
MWPP Fanatic: Yeah, I'm anxious for everyone to find out! Heehee! She'll ride him next chapter, don't worry!  
  
I'M RUNNING OUT OF CHAPTER NAMES . . . HELP ME!  
  
---  
  
Disclaimer: ho-hum  
  
Chapter Ten – Abra  
  
Lily was heading to her class right before lunch when a harassed-looking James cut her off mid-step. "Lily!" he said, seeming relieved.  
  
"What?" Lily said, raising her eyebrows, and faintly wondering why he was looking so tired. "James, you look like you haven't slept in . . ." She trailed off, partly because he wasn't paying attention, and partly because he was frantically trying to shush her.  
  
"Come with me," he whispered, touching her arm lightly.  
  
Lily's mind froze at the sudden contact. Delicious tingles seemed to radiate outward from that point where he had touched her. She felt her face heating up, and embarrassed, she snatched her arm away. "Where? James, my class is about to start very soon – "  
  
"Lily, please!" he grabbed for her arm again, and sighing, she let him lead her away. She would have protested more, but she had to admit that a part of her was very curious to find out what was going on. He stopped at a door further down the corridor that she'd never noticed before.  
  
"What is this?" she asked, apprehensively.  
  
"Shhh!" He opened the door, and stepped in what appeared to be a broom closet, pulling her in with him. He reached around her and closed the door.  
  
"Potter!" Lily hissed. "You better have a REALLY good reason for dragging me in here." It was dark. And Lily didn't particularly care for dark spaces. Especially small, dark spaces barely big enough to fit two people . . . unless the two people were snogging, of course.  
  
"Lumos," she heard him mutter, and suddenly the small closet was lit up enough for her to see that it really was barely big enough to fit two people. She was standing no less than two inches away from James, and he was staring at her, an intense look in his hazel eyes.  
  
Lily was sure her heart couldn't beat any faster.  
  
---  
  
James froze. She was inches away from him. Her LIPS were inches away from him. All he had to do was bend down, and – He mentally shook his head. 'No, Potter! That is not what you came in here to do,' he thought, trying to erase the image from his mind.  
  
He took a deep breath. "Listen, Lily . . . If you hear anything about . . . um, us, it was an accident . . ."  
  
She raised one eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"  
  
He was doing this all wrong. He could tell she was confused. He was pretty confused, himself. He had this all planned out in his head, but it was coming out all wrong. His heart was pounding and all he could think about was wrapping his arms around her, and kissing her, instead of telling her that –  
  
"Rumors!" he said, trying desperately to clear his thoughts. "There's a rumor going around . . . and I just want you to know that I didn't start it, whatever you might think – "  
  
"What rumor, James? You're not making any sense," she shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I have to go to class. Tell me later, okay?" She gave him a small smile, and let herself out of the closet.  
  
James sank to the floor, miserably. "But you might hate me later," he said quietly.  
  
---  
  
Lily couldn't get his expression out of her mind. He had looked so desperate, so . . .  
  
"And I heard that someone spotted them sneaking into a closet to snog, too!"  
  
Lily snapped out of her reverie and looked for the source of the gossip. She sighed. Snogging in closets. When would people learn? It was downright scandalous to say the least . . .  
  
"Are you sure it was James Potter?"  
  
Lily stopped breathing. James Potter? Not the James Potter she knew. There had to be some other explanation for this –  
  
"Of course James Potter! Who else would Lily Evans snog?"  
  
"What?" Lily gasped out loud. She turned around to look for the gossipers, but couldn't spot them anywhere. She figured they were hiding behind a bookcase nearby. Her class had gone down to the library today to do research for a project along with a few other classes in different years.  
  
"How long has this been going on?" the first voice said, excitedly.  
  
"Not sure. For a few months, probably. They ARE the Heads, you know. I bet they spend a lot of time together," the second voice answered.  
  
Lily stood up, and headed in the direction of the voices to discover that they were indeed hiding behind a bookshelf. They were two sixth year girls, one Ravenclaw, one Hufflepuff, apparently so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't see her coming.  
  
Lily cleared her throat, making her presence known. The girls' eyes widened as they turned. "L-Lily Evans!" one of them squeaked.  
  
She glared at them. "Would either of you care to explain exactly what you are talking about? Or should I just start taking points from your houses right now?"  
  
Lily cringed inwardly. She was abusing the power of being Head Girl, and that was a thing that she was strictly not allowed to do. However, these two didn't know it.  
  
The two girls looked at each other wide-eyed. "W-We heard that y-y-you and James Potter are secretly . . ." she gulped. ". . . INVOLVED."  
  
Lily stared at them, open-mouthed. "What?" she said, having to find her voice. "Who did you hear this from?"  
  
"James said so," the other girl, the Hufflepuff, said importantly. "At breakfast this morning. He said that you ALWAYS sneak up to see him in the middle of the night."  
  
"Only this time, you weren't so lucky," the Ravenclaw interrupted. "Because a group of people SAW you."  
  
Lily paled. "That is NOT true," she hissed, angrily. "No one was - " She stopped, suddenly, and the two girls grinned at her, their eyes lighting up with excitement.  
  
"It's alright," the Ravenclaw said, quickly. "You can tell us. We won't tell a soul! Right, Bria?" She turned towards the Hufflepuff, but the other girl seemed hesitant to agree. Lily scowled. Quite possibly the only thing holding her back was her damned Hufflepuff loyalty.  
  
Lily straightened up. "It is not true," she repeated. "Because I would NEVER be in a romantic relationship with Potter. NEVER." She seemed to have forgotten that she had been thinking about kissing him just that morning.  
  
Now all she wanted to do was bash his brains in.  
  
---  
  
Lily stalked down the hall towards the Gryffindor common room. She was out for blood. She was out for revenge. She was . . . She stopped. She was beginning to sound rather dark and sinister. And speaking of "dark" and "sinister" . . .  
  
"Evans," Snape said, walking towards her. His eyes were glittering with something unidentifiable.  
  
"Snape," Lily said, warily.  
  
She thought he would walk on past her on his way to, (possibly wash up for dinner), in the Slytherin common room. She was faintly surprised when he stopped as if he wanted to talk.  
  
Lily raised her eyebrows.  
  
Snape's own eyes narrowed. "I heard a rumor," he stated.  
  
Lily sighed heavily, and rolled her eyes. "It isn't true. Whatever you might believe."  
  
"I sincerely hope not, Evans," Snape said. "Because you seem to be putting off reporting a certain incident that occurred on a certain FULL MOON."  
  
Lily immediately tensed. "Listen, Severus – " she started to speak, but he cut her off.  
  
"I just found it curious, and I'm sure you did, too, that Potter suddenly turned friendly towards you right after you discovered his friends pathetic little secret."  
  
She was silent. She hadn't wanted to believe that James was befriending her to keep her silence, but there was always that little bit of doubt in the back of her mind. She suddenly felt hurt. Was that all this was? An attempt to keep her to keep silent? And then, he had spread this STUPID rumor about them! He had even lied to her this morning, and told her he hadn't started it, when that girl had told her that James himself said that she had been creeping up to his room every night . . . Lily's face turned stony.  
  
"See what I mean?" Snape said, gleefully. "You think if Potter could guarantee your silence, he'd stick around you any longer?"  
  
The anger was blinding. It filled her with an adrenaline she'd never had before. She had been stupid. So stupid! And to think, she had started to think that he was okay after all. That maybe he was even friendship-worthy. Lily snorted. To hell with that!  
  
"So when are you going to turn them in?" Snape asked, a bit too eagerly.  
  
Lily glared at him. "Soon," she said, shortly. "Very soon."  
  
James would get his, eventually. But first, she wanted a few things explained.  
  
---  
  
Potter,  
  
Meet me in the common room at ten. I'll be there for real this time.  
  
Lily  
  
---  
  
James stared at the note in his hand. Something felt a bit . . . off, somehow. And how come she had called him "Potter"? Weren't they supposed to be on a first name basis? What happened to that? He gulped. What if she had found out about the rumors?  
  
"Are you gonna go?" Sirius asked, eagerly.  
  
"I don't know," James said, slowly. "I'm not sure if I should."  
  
"Why not?" Remus asked, looking surprised.  
  
"Maybe . . . Maybe it's a trap, or something," James said, uncomfortably. "She called me 'Potter.'"  
  
Remus smiled. "Maybe she's not comfortable with writing down 'James,' yet. This first name basis hasn't been in existence for very long, has it?"  
  
"Yeah, but . . ." James sighed. "What if it's someone else trying to set us up?"  
  
"That," Sirius said, rolling his eyes, "is why you go in the Invisibility Cloak, mate! Come on, where's your head?"  
  
James didn't smile. He still felt weird about going.  
  
"If you're going," Remus said, "you have two minutes to get down there before you're late."  
  
James sighed again, and picked up the Invisibility Cloak, draping it over him.  
  
"Honestly, Prongsie, you're reading too much into that letter," Sirius said.  
  
"Maybe she wants to talk, James," Remus added.  
  
"Or maybe she finally wants that ride!" Sirius waggled his eyebrows and nudged Peter, who had been sitting beside him, and staring sleepily into space.  
  
Peter gave a small jump and looked around in surprise. "Oh, right!" he said, obviously having no idea what they were talking about.  
  
James descended the stairs slowly, in case it really WAS a trap. He didn't want anyone to hear him. However, when he reached the bottom of the stairs, the only person he spotted in the vicinity was Lily. For a second, he just stood there and watched her.  
  
She looked nervous. She was standing so that her back was to the boys' staircases. She was tense, though, and she appeared to be squeezing her hands together so that her knuckles were white. She was also chewing a piece of her hair, and James was surprised to see that she had on a pair of muggle pants called jeans, and a jumper. He smiled. Standing there like that, looking so uneasy, she was beautiful.  
  
He gave a small cough, and she jumped, then spun around. He watched her eyes dart back and forth as she scanned the boys small staircase. "James?" she whispered.  
  
James pulled his cloak over his head. "Hi," he said, tentatively.  
  
"Hi. Um, we need to talk," she said, awkwardly.  
  
---  
  
If he was surprised, he didn't show it. In fact, this seemed to be what he expected. He nodded. "Here?" he asked, glancing around the common room.  
  
Lily took a deep breath. "No. Maybe . . . maybe the forbidden forest?"  
  
James stared at her, and she averted his gaze. "I was thinking, maybe . . . uh . . . maybe Prongs could . . . I dunno. Maybe I could talk to him, instead?" Her face was flaming, but somehow she lifted her eyes to meet his evenly.  
  
He was staring at her, intensely. Much like he had stared at her in the closet earlier that day. She felt herself shiver under his gaze. There was something almost . . . predatory about the way he was looking at her. "Potter?" she whispered, afraid she might have lost him, somehow. "Can I ride Prongs?"  
  
He suddenly blinked, then grinned, almost shyly. It was Lily's turn to stare. Shyly? James Potter wasn't shy! He was ANYTHING, but shy.  
  
"Sure, Evans," he said, quietly, though still smiling. "I'm sure Prongs would love that."  
  
Lily suddenly felt her heart skip a beat. For a second there, she had almost forgotten that she was upset with him. 'Oh, yes,' Lily thought, glaring at the back of James's head. 'Potter will get his soon enough. And tonight . . . tonight I'll get mine.'  
  
---  
  
A/N: Uh, oh. What is Lily planning? Something sinister, I'll bet! Actually, uh, I don't know, yet, but I hope an idea comes to me, soon. I'm so tired. It's 2:21 AM. I wanted to write the stag-riding thing into this chapter, but it won't fit until next chapter, unfortunately. I have that all planned out, except for "Lily's Revenge." That's the only part I'm not too sure about because, come on, let's face it: Do you REALLY think Lily would stoop so low as to tell about the Marauders' secret, regardless of what she told Snape? That would majorly affect Remus (I already cause him so much pain in my fics), and plus, she would have to explain what she was doing outside that time of night, anyway, as I'm sure being Head Girl doesn't give you the right to wander outdoors at night . . . oh, poo! I need an idea . . .  
  
Please Review! (give me feedback! GOOD feedback! feedback I can draw ideas from! Thanks!)  
  
Ariana S. 


	11. kadabra

A/N: I would have updated sooner than this, but I've been planning out this new story featuring our own favorite little werewolf . . . This fic is very different from what I usually write. It's called "Scarred" and it's a romance dealing with Remus's adolescence. I like it a lot so far (even though it's only in the planning stage), and I hope that when I put it up here, you'll all like it as well.  
  
I RECEIVED SO MANY IDEAS FOR THIS CHAPTER! THANKS EVERYBODY! Unfortunately I couldn't use all of them, but they're ALL fantastic, so I thank you all very much!  
  
Mary-Jane Black: Haha, very funny. Heehee. Don't worry. Lily won't tell on Remus. She's not that cold! Um . . . if Sirius had a girlfriend, Pat would get mad . . . and probably come after ME, seeing as I am the writer. Maybe in another story, kay?  
  
anniePADFOOT: (high five!) Good job! I'm glad you like Sirius's character! Glad you think it's funny. (sigh) This chapter won't be so funny, tho.  
  
TimKnispel: Aww. I know how that is. My computer had a virus a few days back. Lucky I had this saved on a disk, along with everything else. Vincent? That is COOL. I love that name. Yes, Kadabra and Alakazam! (gasp) How did you know? Heehee. Happy you're looking forward to it! (You know, I didn't think guys would like this fic much, but it's very cool to know that this story attracts both sexes! Makes me feel all happy.)  
  
Nathalie17: Hope this chapter satisfies you! Love your story ideas! (wink, wink)  
  
MWPP Fanatic: Well, I hope Lily and James hang on tight cuz their relationship is about to get a bit MORE rocky! And don't worry . . . I'm working on a new fic where Remmie won't suffer as much as he does in my other fics. I hope you read it when I post it! That will be, hopefully, sometime soon.  
  
walkingcensure: What do you mean? The "aargh" makes perfect sense! You're frustrated, right? So you have every right to say "aargh." I'm glad you like Lily in this fic! I actually think I'm working harder on this fic than I've worked on any other, and that's really not fair to my reviewers who read my other stories, and not this one! Oops! Lily's not so stubborn in this chapter, though . . .I'm glad you like my other characterizations. Hmm. About "Snape's Worst Memory" . . . yeah, I'd have to say you're right about that. Whenever I see it rewritten in another story, I usually just skip it, so if I ever need to write about it again, I'll just do that whole transition thing. (smile)  
  
shrk-bait: Mean? Really? (frowns) Well, I suppose she IS being a bit mean and unreasonable . . . but, hey, what can you do? Hope you like this chapter!  
  
Quiteona: Thanks! You and a few other people had about the same idea, so you'll see if I used it or not. Glad you like! Oh, and this chapter is most definitely more emotional than the last one. Strange, considering I was in a very good mood when I wrote it. Heehee.  
  
Kerichi: But Snape didn't start it. James DID say it, remember? I feel sorry for James, too. And, uh, about your idea . . . Are you sure that YOU'RE not the one who's been watching too much muggle tv?  
  
CanadianBlueberries: Yes, someone SHOULD point that out, shouldn't they? (Hums a tune while walking away) Thanks for reviewing!  
  
Nikki: Thanks for the chapter names idea! I'll definitely use it! Glad you like! Thanks for reviewing!  
  
gryffspopgurl: Glad you like the chapter names! I would use yours, but they're really long. Maybe you could think of something a bit shorter? And I used PART of your idea, but not all! It was really good. I liked it a lot! Thanks!  
  
Snidgetlass: I thought about your idea, and I like it, so I used it . . . sort of. Kinda. In the chapter after this one. And don't you worry! Lily will definitely ride Prongs! Happy you like!  
  
gatoritis: Thanks! I wanted to update quickly, I really did . . . but I've been working on yet ANOTHER new story featuring our fave little werewolf. I haven't posted it yet, but I hope everyone likes it when I do. Hmm, now if only I could figure out how to work on two stories at the exact same time . . .  
  
DreamWarrior: Don't apologize! You went camping, so there was no computer. I understand, and I hope you had fun! Oh, and I KINDA used your idea. I put together a bunch of people's ideas, and kind of put a twist in there, so . . . Hope you like!  
  
holly-evans: You're right. Any reasonable person would. But I probably wouldn't, and neither will Lily! (grins) Life is not fair . . . but hey, it's all good. Hope you like this chapter!  
  
Angel Black1: Yeah, everyone at school thinks I'm a sweetheart, too! It's cool, almost like I'm living a double life . . . Yeah, anywayz . . . They DO need a good kiss, don't they?  
  
sunni07: Don't worry. I'm working on a new story where poor lil' Remmie gets lucky in love, so be happy! Your idea is a good one, and I used it, sorta. Well, Lily gets in trouble, anyway . . .  
  
animalluvr75: Sorry! I know it's been way over 24 hours . . . Hope this makes up for it!  
  
Harriet: I'm glad you love it! I MADE YOUR FAVORITES LIST, TOO! Yay! Go me! And in answer to your question: Why do people portray James as handsome? I do it because Harry Potter is VERY CUTE in my opinion, and J.K. describes James as looking almost exactly like him, so James must be VERY CUTE, too! Plus J.K. portrays James as one of the popular boys, and popular boys are usually hot boys, aren't they? Hmm, good question!  
  
jess131346: YAY! I memorized the numbers! I'm proud of myself, now! (even tho that was pointless – heehee) Oh, I don't think Lily would ever be that petty, either. (shifty eyes) Hope you like the ride!  
  
I'M ALL NERVOUS, NOW. YOU'VE ALL BEEN SAYING YOU CAN'T WAIT FOR THE "RIDE," SO I HOPE I LIVE UP YOUR EXPECTATIONS!  
  
---  
  
Disclaimer: Nothing you recognize belongs to lil' ol' me.  
  
Chapter Eleven – Kadabra  
  
James walked slowly, making sure that she was able to keep up. He was nervous, and he sensed that she was, too. For one, neither of them was talking. Granted that they were under an invisibility cloak, and talking would get them in trouble, the silence was still an uncomfortable one.  
  
He kept going until he reached that same clearing they had stopped at, before. He slid the cloak off of them, and stuffed it into his robes. Then, he took a deep breath and turned to Lily. "It's kinda cold out here, isn't it?" he asked, uncertainly. 'The weather?' he thought. 'I'm talking about the weather? Cripes, what is wrong with me?'  
  
She gave him a small smile, and just sort of nodded. She seemed to be avoiding his gaze for some odd reason. He wrinkled his forehead in confusion puzzling over what was making her so edgy.  
  
Lily looked up and caught him watching her. "Um, are we going to do this?" she asked, anxiously. James tilted his head to the side. Maybe it was just his imagination.  
  
He flashed her a grin. "Yeah. Could you maybe turn around again?" he asked. Complying quickly, she turned, and dug her hands into her robe pockets. For a second, he just stared at her. Was she standing a bit stiffly, or was it just him? He shook his head and took a deep breath.  
  
'Lily is just nervous, Prongs,' he told himself. 'Same as you.'  
  
Closing his eyes, he concentrated on the stag, and felt his bones start to shift. The transformation wasn't a painful process, and he was very familiar with it by now, but he would never completely get used to the feeling of his bones changing shape. When he felt the shifting stop, he opened his eyes to find Lily staring at him. He couldn't discern the expression on her face.  
  
And for some reason this bothered him severely.  
  
---  
  
Lily was tense as she climbed onto James's back. By the way he stood, she knew he could probably feel it. She willed herself to relax. 'This will work,' she told herself. 'This will work, and everything will be fine.'  
  
But she wasn't so sure.  
  
She gasped as she felt James start to move, and she suddenly realized how very high up she was. Looking down, she began to get dizzy. Starting to get scared, she leaned forward, and grabbed James's antlers, but she couldn't get a secure enough grip. She let out a frightened yelp as she felt herself start to slide sideways.  
  
Panicking, she reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck, hanging on for all she was worth. James abruptly stopped walking, giving Lily time to steady herself. She closed her eyes, and buried her face in his fur. Maybe if she didn't look down . . .  
  
She took a deep breath, and smiled. "I'm fine," she whispered. "I'm okay."  
  
He still wouldn't move until she nudged him with her foot. "I'm fine, James. Really."  
  
He was so sweet . . . And it was touching that he seemed so concerned about her. Lily gently ran one hand up and down his smooth fur. It was soft to the touch. And his antlers were just magnificent. She sighed. He really was a pretty stag. But all the prettiness in the world didn't change the fact that he was a jerk – a stupid jerk who probably only cared about his friend . . . He didn't care about her. He was just befriending her because . . . because . . .  
  
Lily paused. What was she doing? James cared about Remus Lupin. That's why he had befriended her: To protect his friend. Wasn't that a noble thing to do? And here she was . . . feeling so what? Jealous? She hardly dared to believe it, but it seemed to be true. Lily Evans was jealous. Jealous because James liked Remus more than he liked her.  
  
She felt her eyes start to well up with tears. What WAS she doing? She was a horrible person. A truly horrible person.  
  
"Stop," she whispered. "I want to get off."  
  
---  
  
James stopped as soon as Lily told him to. His eyes widened as he picked up the scent of salty tears. Tears? Was she crying? What was wrong?  
  
He felt her slide off of him, and he immediately changed back, suddenly not caring if she was watching or not. "Lily," he said worriedly, as soon as he had gotten his voice back. "What's wrong?"  
  
She was really sobbing now. Her hands were over her eyes and she wouldn't look at him. James grabbed her hands, and pulled them away from her face. Her eyes were red. She focused on the ground.  
  
"Lily? Lily, look at me. Tell me what's wrong, Lily," he pleaded, anxiously. "Lily, I can't help you if you don't tell me what the problem is." He reached one hand towards her face, and lifted her chin upwards, bringing her gaze up, also.  
  
"Lily, what's wrong?" he asked, softly. "Please, tell me."  
  
"I-I can't!" she said. "I'm a b-bad person . . . I'm a h-h-horrible p- person . . ."  
  
James shook his head. "You're not!" he said. "Lily, you're the best person . . . Lily, LISTEN to me! Look at me right now!"  
  
Most likely startled by his tone of voice, she brought her eyes up to meet his. "You, Lily Evans, are the best, nicest, and most confusing person I have ever met," James said, fiercely. "You are sweet, and sincere . . . You actually DO your homework, and you do it early, too! You stick up for people who don't deserve it, like Sniv-Snape, and who don't appreciate it, either, but you do it anyway, because you care about everyone . . . and even Remus, who you barely know. Remember when you said you wished that you could be a werewolf, too, just to keep him company? That was the noblest thing I've ever heard of. And I know I joke around a lot, and I'm not that responsible. Look at me, I'm an unregistered animagus, for goodness sake . . . but Lily . . . deep down, I want to be just like you." He stopped, shocked at what had just come out of his mouth. 'This proves it,' he thought. 'I have a crush on Evans.'  
  
---  
  
Lily stared at him in astonishment. She was literally rendered speechless. And she was sure that she was blushing, too. James thought all of those things about her? He was wrong, though. He was so wrong. If he only knew –  
  
She was cut off mid-thought as he suddenly leaned forward and kissed her.  
  
---  
  
James closed his eyes, his heart hammering. Her lips were so warm, and soft against his. He lowered his arms to wrap them around her waist, and pulled her closer to him. He sighed happily as they both ran out of air and broke the kiss.  
  
Lily brought her hands up to his chest, and pushed against him gently. He released her in surprise. "What's - ?" he started to ask. However, he never finished his sentence.  
  
There was a clicking sound coming from somewhere in the trees. James jumped in surprise. He glanced at Lily. She had gone wide-eyed and pale and was staring in the darkness. James reached for her hand, and started to pull her backwards, away from the sound.  
  
She looked up at him in confusion, and he motioned for her to follow him with his finger. Quickly, she complied, and they stopped only when they were deeper into the trees. "What . . . what was that?" he panted.  
  
"We should leave," she said, suddenly. "We need to go."  
  
"Lily . . . I-I think that was a person," James said, starting to blush. "I think that person saw us k-"  
  
"James, let's go," Lily interrupted. "Please?"  
  
James stared at her. She was at the utmost unease. "Are you alright, Lily?"  
  
"Yes, fine," she said, quickly. "Can we please head back inside, now?"  
  
James grabbed his cloak out of his robes, and draped it over the two of them. He wanted to hold her hand, or something, but at the last moment he decided not to. The vibes he was getting from her were making him uncomfortable.  
  
What was wrong with her? She had been jumpy all night, and she hadn't seemed to enjoy their riding session, either. Then, she had gotten so upset afterwards. James sighed. He was just glad that she HAD gotten upset, or he wouldn't have had a reason to transform, and that "photographer" might have even caught him.  
  
James shivered. He wouldn't be the only one in trouble, either. Lily would've been in trouble for knowing and not telling anyone, and his friends . . . What would they ever do if he was expelled? Poor Remus, and poor Sirius and Peter for having to deal with him, alone. He sighed. He owed Lily a huge thank you. She had probably sensed all along that there was something wrong . . .  
  
He suddenly froze. Lily. She HAD known all along that there was something wrong. She had been fidgety for this entire evening, almost as if she had suspected something like this to happen. James mentally shook his head. But no. Lily wouldn't have done something like that to him. She just wouldn't have. Lily would have known the consequences of something so serious . . .  
  
But then why . . . Why was she crying? James stopped in front of the fat lady, surprised they had reached it so quickly. Lily gave the fat lady the password, and stepped into the common room ahead of him. He scrambled in after her.  
  
"Lily?" he said. She was already heading for the stairs, but she paused, stopped and looked at him, her cheeks burning.  
  
"Y-Yes?" she said. James didn't miss the tremor in her voice.  
  
"Lily, did you . . . Did you know?" he asked, wishing he didn't have to do this. But he had to know.  
  
She turned crimson. "James . . . I can, I can explain."  
  
---  
  
His mouth dropped open in surprise. "What? You DID?"  
  
Lily winced as the expression on his face turned from shock, to confusion, and then to anger. "J-James, I – "  
  
"You wanted to get me caught?" he asked, as if hardly daring to believe it. "You would do something like that?"  
  
"J-James, you don't understand – the rumors . . . I . . . I didn't know what else to do," she said, feebly, knowing her excuse was as pitiful as they came.  
  
He was breathing heavily now. "So you decided to expose my other form!? I don't understand. Why would you do something like that!? YOU KNOW WHAT COULD'VE HAPPENED!"  
  
"James, please don't yell," Lily begged.  
  
"DON'T YELL? DON'T YELL!? I HAVE EVERY BLOODY RIGHT IN THE WORLD TO YELL!" His eyes flashed with anger. "Lily, I could've gotten expelled!"  
  
"I know," she mumbled, feeling her tears start to well up again. "I know. I'm sorry, James. I'm so sorry."  
  
"Don't you dare start crying on me, again!" James said, furiously. "I cannot believe this . . . I cannot BELIEVE . . ." He was pacing back and forth, and Lily knew he wanted to strike out at something. Probably wanted to destroy something, just as she had wanted to do.  
  
He suddenly stopped and stared at her. "Why?" he whispered, his voice laced with pain. His eyes were full of anguish. Lily wiped a tear away on her own cheek. She almost couldn't stand to see him this way. "Why would you do that to me, Lily? Do you really hate me that much?"  
  
She began to shake her head, violently. "No! No, James . . . I don't! I don't hate you at all!" More tears splashed onto her cheeks, and she hastily wiped them away.  
  
"Then why?" he asked, softly. "Because I need to know."  
  
---  
  
James stared at her, watching her cry. It broke his heart to see her cry, it really did. Lily was the only girl he had ever felt this strongly about, and she . . . she had betrayed him in the worst way. She had almost gotten him EXPELLED.  
  
"Why?" he asked, "Why would you do that to me, Lily? Do you really hate me that much?"  
  
"No! No, James . . . I don't! I don't hate you at all!"  
  
"Then why?" he asked, feeling as if he on the verge of tears, himself. "Because I need to know."  
  
She was no longer making any attempt to wipe her tears away. "I . . . I was jealous!" she said. "I was jealous of Remus. You two . . . you two are such good friends. And so close."  
  
"What the hell does Remus have to do with this?" James asked.  
  
"You're so close, James," she repeated. "I have friends and they're wonderful, but we're not nearly as close as you are. And look what you've done for him. Instead of being afraid of him, you've done the unimaginable. You've taken on this other form, so he wouldn't be alone. You've risked everything here at Hogwarts for HIM, you, Sirius, and Peter. You accepted him, instead of shunned him, like most people would have. Like . . . like I almost did. You say you want to be like me, James, but I . . . I want to be like you!" She hugged her arms to her body.  
  
She suddenly realized that she had feelings, actual FEELINGS for this guy that she had hated for so long. He had shown her another side of himself, a kind side that was rare in a lot of people. He was everything Lily wanted to be, and she loved him for it. She gasped, realizing that it was true. She actually LOVED him.  
  
"That doesn't tell me why you did this, Lily," he said, shaking his head. "Did you want to rip Remus and me apart? Would it give you some sadistic pleasure in seeing me separated from my friends? Is that why you did it?"  
  
"No," Lily interrupted. "I did it because . . . because of those rumors." She blushed. "I thought you had spread them."  
  
James glared at her. "You did this because of some stupid rumors?" his voice was cold with anger. "Because of a few stupid rumors, you were going to have me torn away from everything important to me?"  
  
Lily shivered. His hazel eyes were cold here when they had been warm in the forest, just a little over ten minutes ago. She preferred it when he was yelling.  
  
"It was stupid, I know," Lily muttered. "I'm sor – "  
  
"It was WORSE than stupid," James retorted.  
  
A fresh round of tears sprang up in her eyes. "James . . ."  
  
"Shut up, Evans," he said, heatedly. "And don't call me James. It's Potter to you!"  
  
"No, James! I'm sorry!" she cried, tears cascading down her face. She didn't even try to wipe them away this time.  
  
"I said it's POTTER!" he hissed, turning toward the boys' dormitories.  
  
Lily watched him go, the tears blurring her vision. Then, she leaned against the wall, her legs suddenly giving out, and she cried.  
  
---  
  
A/N: It's 2:10 in the morning and I'm in the mood for Hot Chocolate for some strange reason. I thought it best to get this chapter up, so I did this first. And now I'm going away to the kitchen for Hot Chocolate.  
  
Oh, yeah, please review. Thanks!  
  
Ariana S. 


	12. alakazam

A/N: There are issues going on with me that I can't discuss here. It's making me feel all dark and twisted, and unlike myself. And my feelings usually come across in my writing. I'm trying to get back to myself cuz I feel like I'm in someone else's body, or something. I dunno. Just . . . if this chapter is . . . different from the way I usually write, I'll change it. Let me know, okay?  
  
anniePADFOOT: (whew) GOOD! I feel exactly the same way! I hate when James is fake like that, too. I assure you, this fic is going to be DIFFERENT.  
  
MadisonStarr: lol, your review made me laugh! I'm glad you like it so much! And yeah, poor James because this time, Lily screwed things up, so it's all her fault . . . And you say you want James to cry? Well, if he has a reason to cry, I'll make him cry, but I won't make him do it for no reason . . . Thanks for the review!  
  
crazy4padfoot: Stupid Lily indeed. And it really was low, wasn't it? lol. I feel sorry for James, myself. (sigh) Things will get better for him, tho, don't you worry. And I hope you like this chapter. It had Sirius in it!  
  
Kerichi: Jim? Who's Jim? I'm confused now. Okay . . . anyway no, Snape does not kick her when she's down . . . That's so cliché! Argh! You've made me mad, now . . . lol – just kidding. Things will get better soon, I promise!  
  
walkingcensure: Oooh! James and Sirius fighting? Hmm, let me write that down . . . Nah, it wasn't Snape in the woods . . . Do you really think he'd get up in the mid of the night and ruin his beauty sleep to take pictures of Potter? Heehee, glad you liked it!  
  
Spikora: Yeah, but who really thinks clearly when their crush is mad and yelling at them? And that line was pretty harsh, wasn't it? Heehee. Go me! (lol – just kidding) Thanks for reviewing!  
  
Marauder4eva: They DID sound pretty bad, but then again, James DID tell her not to pay attention to them, soooo . . . Yeah. Thanks for reviewing! Here's more!  
  
gab3: Ah, it was great! I loved every drop of it . . . lol – we have none left now. I just went through a mild hot-chocolate-drinking-every-night phase. Happy you liked that last chapter! This one's kinda short, but I hope you like it, too!  
  
sunni07: Of course I do. I get evil sadistic pleasure out of torturing everyone. Haven't you guessed by now? Lol – haha, yeah, right. I'm the sweetest person you'll ever meet. Seriously. Heehee. Actually, it's hot here, too, being summertime and all, but it's freezing inside b/c of the air conditioning . . . I'm babbling now. Thanks for reviewing!  
  
gatoriris: Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it!  
  
mione-xavier: Yep, she was the "bad one" this time around. And, no . . .she didn't say that, did she? Hmm. Well, here's more for you!  
  
Mary-Jane Black: HEY! THANKS FOR IM-ING ME! It was cool chattin with you! Heehee. Thanks a lot for reviewing every chapter, too! (You DID review every chapter, right?)  
  
mrs.radcliffe: Thanks a bunch! (blushes) I try, so I'm glad to see that it's working! And they definitely WILL get together eventually. This IS a Lily-James fic. Heehee.  
  
Angel Black1: Wha? Snape? Nooo! It wasn't! That's not really an important part of the plot . . . And "mean old James"? You feel sorry for LILY? Really? I'm surprised. I thought everyone would feel sorry for James, like I do. Hm, that's interesting. Well . . .Thanks for reviewing! Now, you've given me stuff to think about . . .  
  
gryffspopgurl: Ouch! That whole burning thing sounds painful . . . lol – Glad you like it, tho!  
  
Revi: I made the ride unique? Meaning it's been done before? Wahhh! I wanted to be the first one! Heehee, I'm such a baby. Thanks a lot, tho! Yeah, that end bit was pretty sad, wasn't it . . . Originally, I had no idea if I wanted them to be caught, or not . . . But glad to see that it turned out okay.  
  
CanadianBlueberries: Yes, James did take that pretty well, but I don't think he'd be the type of person to just fall apart, either, so . . . yeah. And yes, Lily is being an idiot. A big idiot. Don't worry, love stories always have happy endings! (Well, except mine . . . but ignore that fact) Thanks for reading!  
  
Nikki: Heehee, thanks! Glad you liked it!  
  
Jessica: Are you that same Jessica who sent me that SUPER NICE REVIEW about all of my work so far? If so, THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH! I actually cried when reading that review. I am super sensitive, so that really affected me in a very good way. Saying thank you doesn't seem like enough somehow, so BIG HUG. Lol – then again, if you're not that same Jessica, ignore that, and thanks for reviewing either way! (Yes, anything chocolate hits the spot)  
  
Tim Knispel: Hey, thanks for reviewing again! And yeah, your last name is pretty cool. When you explained how to pronounce it, I was actually sitting in front of my computer saying it out loud. (My sis thinks I'm insane, but hey what can you do?) And I like those chapter titles . . .  
  
MWPP Fanatic: Thank you! I agree with you! Sappiness is okay sometimes, but I'll take realistic any day! Realistic all the way! Woo hoo! I'll try to make this as REAL as possible! Thanks again!  
  
vietboibballer89: HEY! Thanks! Heehee, I'm glad you like it! I'm sorry I didn't update sooner, but here's another chapter for you!  
  
Lyss: Awww, I didn't mean to depress you. I feel all upset now. Thanks for reading, though! It'll get happier soon!  
  
rachel: Glad you think so! Here's more!  
  
hockeygirl27: There is no way I WOULDN'T continue this story. Even if I died. This would remain my unfinished business or something. Heehee. Here's another chapter for you! Thanks for reviewing!  
  
Animalluvr75: Yep, James is mad at Lily this time! And for some reason, I like it much better this way. Sorry I didn't update soon enough . . . But here's some more! Thanks!  
  
Erkith: HOT CHOCOLATE ALL THE WAY! MWAHAHAHAHA! (realizes everyone is staring) Um . . . Right. It was good, tho. Thanks a lot. (blushes in embarrassment)  
  
DreamWarrior: Drama! Drama! Drama! I live for it. Heehee. I'm glad you like it! And I'm also glad you're checkin out my faves list . . . I have authors I love, too! Yeah, "Lust or Love" is amazing!  
  
Nathalie17: Thanks! They'll make up soon enough! Don't worry.  
  
jess131346: Haha, yes, stupid Lily and stupid "Jamesie-poo." And, yep, I remembered the numbers! I remembered! Thanks for reviewing!  
  
RnB Diva Girl: They SHOULD get together, but you know, if it's too soon, it'll ruin the story and the plot, too . . . Thanks for your review!  
  
buckbeak777: Wow. My words had that much of an effect on you? (grins) Well, thanks! Lily's only human, tho. We all act like cows sometimes . . . And I'm happy you're in love with Sirius! I love writing him! James and the rest of them, too!  
  
Quiteona: I'm trying not to wait too long between posts, but it's REALLY hard, sometimes . . . I'm glad you like it! Hope you enjoy this chapter, too, even tho it's kinda short . . .  
  
I'M IN SHOCK . . . OVER THIRTY PEOPLE REVIEWED THAT LAST CHAPTER . . . WOW, GUYS. JUST . . . WOW. THANK YOU! THANK YOU ALL!  
  
---  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything . . . or anyone. (sigh)  
  
Chapter Twelve – Alakazam  
  
Lily was tense, extremely tense. What if that third year Gryffindor that she had hired to catch James last night caught BOTH of them instead? What if that kid had pictures of something other than James transforming?  
  
She felt horrible. Here she was, acting more worried about being caught kissing James in the forbidden forest, than about him getting caught and possibly expelled. She was a terrible person. And she deserved to burn.  
  
Lily was up extra early to make sure she didn't run into him, for fear of awkwardness. Actually, she was more afraid about what he would say to her, or . . . what he WOULDN'T say to her. She showered, quickly, and performed a quick drying spell on her body and her hair.  
  
"Great," she groaned, softly, taking in her reflection. Her hair was tangled now. And Kat was about to wake up . . .  
  
Not bothering to brush it, she pulled it into a quick ponytail, and tried to smooth it out. She pulled on her uniform, knowing she probably looked messy, unkempt, and not at all like her usual neat, composed, serene self.  
  
'Oh well,' she thought, taking one last glance in the mirror. 'For today, it will have to do.'  
  
She took the stairs down to the common room two at a time, and smiled grimly to herself. There was no one in there. Good. Now, all she had to do was get to breakfast without being seen –  
  
Lily brought her hand up to stifle a yawn, and suddenly froze. Her mouth dropped open. All along the Gryffindor notice board, pinned up and overlapping each other, were pictures! Magical moving pictures of Lily . . . crying and being KISSED! By James Potter!  
  
She took a deep breath, trying to calm her pounding heart. "Okay, Lily. Just . . . take the pictures down . . . They were obviously put up this morning, or sometime late after we got back . . . Just take them down, and no one will have to see them. Ever."  
  
Making up her mind, she determinedly moved across the room, and started to pull the first picture from the wall, her hands shaking as she did so. James . . . He looked absolutely gorgeous in these shots. Every detail was perfect . . . as if the moment really was happening all over again.  
  
"No, Lily!" she whispered, shutting her eyes against the picture. "Stop fantasizing, girl. It's just a picture. It's not real."  
  
She opened her eyes and looked down at the photo in her hand. 'As least,' she added, silently, 'not real anymore.'  
  
Footsteps suddenly sounded on the stairs. Lily gasped. They were leading down from the boys' dormitories! What if it was . . .? Frantically, she rushed to rip all of the pictures down.  
  
"Lily?" a surprised-sounding voice said. "What are you doing?"  
  
Lily turned around, feeling as guilty as ever. Oh, no. She was doomed. It was Remus. He was going to tell James, she was sure of it. And he was going to be mad at her all over again. He was going to yell or her . . . or worse, not yell at her, and just look at her. He was going to just look at her with those angry, sad eyes, and he was going to call her Evans. And he was going to hate her all over again. . .  
  
Without warning, Lily suddenly dropped the pictures, and sank down to floor, bringing her hands up to hide her face. She was unable to hold the tears back, she knew, and as predicted, they fell through the cracks between her fingers.  
  
"Lily?" Remus said, his voice softer now. "Lily, what's wrong?"  
  
She stared at him through tear-filled eyes. "I-I didn't m-mean for this to happen! I really didn't, Remus! I just . . . I was angry, so, so angry . . . Remus, p-p-please . . . don't tell J-James . . ."  
  
Remus picked up the pictures, confusion written all over his face. The puzzlement quickly turned to surprise, and he looked up at Lily, his eyes wide. She just shook her head. "Oh, Lily," he sighed, and to her astonishment, he came over and wrapped his arms around her. He rubbed her back, gently. "It'll be alright."  
  
"B-But he'll f-find out," she mumbled. "He's already mad at m-me . . ."  
  
Remus took a deep breath. "Oh, that explains it . . ." he said.  
  
"Explains it? Explains what?" Now it was Lily's turn to be confused. She stepped backwards out of his embrace.  
  
Remus looked pained. "Well, he was really upset last night, that's all . . ."  
  
"Oh," she said in a small voice. She looked back up at him. "Can you help me get rid of them?"  
  
He hesitated, and Lily felt the tears start to well up again. If James ever found out . . .  
  
"Sure," he said, taking a breath. "But, if anyone asks . . ."  
  
"Right, you had nothing to do with it," she finished his sentence. He nodded, and she could understand. He didn't want to get in the middle of an argument between his best friend and . . . what? A potential girlfriend? Lily shook her head mentally, and put the thought out of her mind. It would never happen, so why waste time thinking about it?  
  
Sighing, she and Remus began to banish the photos towards the fireplace, one-by-one.  
  
---  
  
"You sure you don't want to keep one?" Remus teased, as he levitated the last photo mischievously over the fireplace.  
  
Lily shook her head, quickly. Even if the pictures had indeed turned out better than she would have imagined . . . it was a bad idea. If they were to fall into anyone else's hands except her own . . . She shuddered. Embarrassment galore.  
  
Remus watched her, an amused expression on his face. But then his amusement turned to curiosity as he watched the expressions change on her face. Was it possible . . . that she really LIKED James? She acted as if she didn't, but the look on her face was a whole different story.  
  
Remus smiled. Maybe . . . Ol' Prongsie had finally met his match.  
  
---  
  
James watched her out of the corner of his eye as she proceeded to eat and read a book at the same time. He snorted. She was SUCH a goody-goody that it made him sick. It made him sick to even look at her. In fact, every time he thought of her betrayal to their "friendship" two weeks ago now, it made him sick.  
  
He felt disgusted whenever he remembered how she had the nerve to cry. He felt nauseous whenever he remembered the feeling of her perfect body on his back . . . riding him . . . literally riding him. He swallowed hard.  
  
And the way her lips felt against his . . . so perfect, so . . . bloody right! He took a deep breath, tearing his gaze away from her. Stupid Evans. She had to go and ruin it. Just when he was starting to fall –  
  
"James, are you okay?" Peter squeaked from across the table.  
  
James was brought back to earth with a jolt. "I'm fine," he said, managing a smile. "Just fine." He allowed himself a quick glance in her direction, satisfied that his friends (and especially Sirius) hadn't seen him looking.  
  
Unbeknownst to him, however, Remus had been giving him curious glances the whole time.  
  
---  
  
"He's starting to bug me!" Sirius whined a few days later. "He's so damn moody all the time! Why doesn't Evans just apologize or something?"  
  
James was at Quidditch practice, and Peter was there, too, most likely cheering him on and wetting himself in the process.  
  
"She probably tried," Remus answered. "But I'm guessing Prongs didn't want to hear it. You know how he gets."  
  
"Yeah, I know," Sirius sighed. His eyes suddenly lit up in that all too familiar I-have-an-idea-but-it's-probably-going-to-land-us-in-lots-of- trouble way.  
  
"What?" Remus asked, wearily.  
  
"Why don't we apologize for her?" Sirius asked. "We can write . . . uhh, like a love letter or something!"  
  
Remus raised his eyebrows. "I really don't think a simple love letter is going to work in this case, Padfoot," he said, gently.  
  
Sirius grinned. "I know! That's why we use firecrackers!"  
  
"What?" Remus asked in disbelief. "What are you talking about!?"  
  
"Firecrackers, Remus," Sirius said, shaking his head. "You know, those sparkly things that blow up in the sky? The ones with the pretty lights that I love ever so much?"  
  
"I KNOW what Firecrackers are, Sirius," Remus said, starting to get annoyed. "What I don't know is what you plan to do with them."  
  
"Okay, well, what I was thinking was we could rig them to go off in the Great Hall – "  
  
"No," Remus interrupted.  
  
"Why 'no'?" Sirius said, pouting. "You didn't even hear my idea, yet!"  
  
Remus shook his head. "Firecrackers and the Great Hall are NOT a good match for each other, Padfoot! Or have you forgotten what happened three weeks ago when you decided dinner needed a bit of 'livening up'?"  
  
Sirius grinned sheepishly. "Well, it was livened up, wasn't it?"  
  
Remus rolled his eyes. "No fireworks in the Great Hall," he said, firmly.  
  
"Fine, fine," Sirius said, hastily. "How about outside, then? We can rig them to say 'I'm sorry, James, from Lily,' in really big bright letters."  
  
Remus stared at him. "Do you have any idea how many things are wrong with that idea?"  
  
Sirius sighed. "No. But I'm sure you will enlighten me, oh righteous one."  
  
"First, Lily would NEVER do a thing like that, and James would immediately know that it was YOU behind it. And you know how mad he would get. Second, I don't think either of them can take any more embarrassment after those pictures . . ." Remus winced.  
  
He and Lily had gotten all of the pictures and destroyed them, but they had completely forgotten about the negatives, and by that afternoon, Gryffindor Tower was greeted with even bigger photos of James and Lily kissing than before. And the word had spread through the school like wildfire. All through dinner, gossipers had run up to Lily and James (and all of their friends) demanding to know what was REALLY going on.  
  
Lily had fled the Great Hall, red-faced, and James had stayed there for fear of running into her if he left. Anyone who came up to him was immediately a contender for the Hospital Wing, and he received detention for his "bad temper." McGonagall was especially upset because he was Head Boy and "he should have known better."  
  
Sirius shuddered. "Never mind the fireworks, then," he said, slumping into one of the library chairs around Remus's table.  
  
Remus took in his troubled face, and sighed, knowing he was going to regret this. "How about something more subtle, Padfoot, than a love letter?"  
  
Sirius sat up eagerly, anticipating Remus's idea, as Remus knew he would. "What did you have in mind?"  
  
---  
  
A/N:That was WAY too short, even for me! But I promise, before Sunday, I'll have another chapter up, so there ya go! I just got this fabulous new idea, and I've been down in the dumps for a few days, so this new idea is like a breath of fresh air . . . I'll get started on it as soon as I can.  
  
Just review, please? Thank you all so much!  
  
Ariana S. 


	13. jiggery

A/N: Would've had this up yesterday, but was down for repairs . . .Bleah . . .  
  
Luckyloo16: Thank you so much! I'm glad my words have the power to make you feel sorry for the characters. I feel all warm and fuzzy, now. Thanks again!  
  
Erkith: I actually had forgotten about the negatives, too, until I reread chapter eleven. Then, I had to rewrite chapter twelve and add in that part . . . Heehee, thanks anyway! And I'm glad you like Remus. He's my favorite!  
  
Nikki: Ahh! Don't hurt me! Here's the next chapter. I hope you like it!  
  
Tirtreaton: Yay! I'm on your author alert! Cool!  
  
Angel Black1: Heehee, yeah, I love it, too when I'm just writing, and all of a sudden this new fab idea pops into my brain. Tho, sometimes I have to rewrite things to make it fit. I rewrote a lot of things in this chapter . . .Yeah, I guess you're right about feeling sorry for Lily, too. She's not a COMPLETE jerk. After all, she's only human, too. And I love her, so I can't stay mad. (lol) And AP English? Cool. I could've been in it, but for some reason, I decided not to. Don't remember why.  
  
Jessica: THANK YOU AGAIN!!! Yeppers, poor Lily and James. (sigh) I hate when they fight, but the making up part is always good, so it's all worth it. The new idea will leave you feeling confused, that's for sure, but I know you'll like it. (I HOPE you'll like it)  
  
janny: Thank you! Here's more for you!  
  
walkingcensure: Heehee, so you like it when the characters aren't all chipper and sunshine? You mean, mean person . . . Nahh, just joking! And don't worry about it. Short reviews are good, as long as they're meaningful! lol  
  
Nathalie17: Well . . . Remus didn't know, now did he? I never said James told him . . . and he really doesn't want to meddle in James's business, so . . . that's why. And don't worry about the negatives. They're kinda . . .uhh, gone, now. Thanks for reviewing!  
  
MWPP Fanatic: Oh, of course it will! And Remus is somewhat of a dreamer, so it'll be romantic, too . . . But that's all I'm saying. And "Poor Petey" indeed. Ha! Lil' bugger! And (sigh) I also am waiting for my knight in shining armor . . .  
  
sunni07: Hmm, a question to ponder – what is Remus planning? Hm, hm, hm. Well, guess you're gonna have to just read and see! And those pictures? I would probably burn most of them, but keep the one I liked the most in a safe secret place, knowing me.  
  
mione-xavier: Right! Who cares? So I'll scream with you. MORE! MORE! MORE! Heehee, thanks bunches!  
  
Spikora: Thank you! (bows) I hope you'll like it.  
  
Lark Conlon: Wow . . . (blushes) Thank you so much! I try my best.  
  
DreamWarrior: Ice cream? Hmm, that does sound nice . . . I think I will. I'm glad you like it all, and I'll try my best not to rush things. Tho, it's kinda hard sometimes. Don't worry, I won't push myself too hard . . . but if I don't push myself at all, it would be FOREVER between updates. Heehee.  
  
libyanauthor: Thank you! I'm glad you think so! I agree, too much happiness can get annoying. Darkness evens things up.  
  
anniePADFOOT: lol, really, you just noticed? Heehee, that's funny. I don't understand something, tho . . . When you say Sirius's firecracker thing wasn't such a good idea, are you saying not a good idea (and you agree with Remus), or you didn't like it, yourself? That confused me, so could you clear that up? Thanks! And yeah, Lily was pretty awful, wasn't she? Thanks for reviewing!  
  
gab3: I'm trying this new Butterfinger flavor hot chocolate. It sounds gross, but it tastes just like the candy . . . IT'S SO GOOD! MMMM! Just telling you makes me want some more right now . . .Mocha Cocoa? That sounds good, too. I'll let you know if I try it. Hope you like this chapter!  
  
PhiloNysh: Wha? Werewolf? Where!? Heehee, thanks a lot! I'm glad you like it!  
  
Bottled-Message-Inc: Thank you! You have a nice day, too! And here's the next chapter!  
  
I'M OVER 200 REVIEWS! THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH EVERYBODY! YOU ROCK! YOU RULE! YOU MAKE ME WANT TO WRITE MORE!  
  
---  
  
Dobby: Ariana is not owning Harry Potter, Sir, and Ariana is being happy just the way Ariana is.  
  
Chapter Thirteen – Jiggery (thank you, Tim Knispel)  
  
James woke up to the sound of frantic whispering in the dormitory, and turned over, groaning. He put his pillow over his head. "Guys! Would you please knock it off? It's Saturday. I have a match tomorrow. I NEED my rest!"  
  
The whispering abruptly stopped.  
  
"Um . . . Pr-Prongs?" Peter's voice came from somewhere near the foot of his bed.  
  
"What?" James snapped. "What? What? What?" He sat up, glaring at all three of the rather guilty looking boys.  
  
"It's just that . . ." Peter stopped, looking around at Remus and Sirius. They nodded at him. James's eyes narrowed.  
  
"What?" he asked, evenly.  
  
"This-letter-came-for-you," Peter said in a rush. He threw a letter toward James that swooped and knocked him in the head.  
  
"What the - ?" James grabbed it, and turned it over. It was nothing, but a plain white envelope. With his name on the front in simple handwriting. "What is this?" he asked, curiously, looking up at Sirius and Remus.  
  
Simultaneously, they shrugged.  
  
"It was on the windowsill this morning when I woke up," Remus said. Even though he was trying to hide it, James could tell he was just as curious as he was.  
  
"Open it," Sirius suggested.  
  
James didn't need telling twice. He ripped the letter open, and pulled out the parchment inside. "'Lately, I find I'm caught up in these thoughts,'" James read aloud. Confusion settled over his features. That was it. There was nothing else on the envelope.  
  
He looked up, his eyebrows furrowed.  
  
"Is that it?" Sirius asked in disbelief. "That's all it says?" He sounded surprised.  
  
"Unless the rest of this letter is written in invisible ink, then yes," James said. "That's all it says." He looked up at Remus for answers, but Remus appeared as baffled as he was.  
  
"I don't get it," Peter interrupted.  
  
"Maybe it's some sort of stalker," James said, crumpling up the letter. He tossed it toward the wastebasket in the corner of their room, missed, and scowled. "Oh, well. Who cares?"  
  
He swung his legs over the side of his bed, and yawned, heading for the showers, completely forgetting that he was supposed to be sleeping in.  
  
---  
  
Lily stretched out on her bed. She didn't want to get up, but she had to. She was supposed to report to Headmaster Dumbledore first thing this morning. Apparently, he had some new idea that he wanted to test on the school, but he wanted to meet with her first for her opinion.  
  
She had to admit, she felt rather pleased that her opinion would count in this decision. Of course, so would James's. She felt a faint tinge of hurt. He hadn't said anything to her, or looked at her since that night. And it had been a few weeks, now. Was he planning to ignore her forever?  
  
She pulled on a t-shirt and a pair of jeans. It being Saturday and all, she didn't have to wear the normal uniform. She brushed her hair and pulled it back into a ponytail, then changed her mind. She WAS going to see the Headmaster, after all. She had to at least look presentable.  
  
She fixed her hair so that it hung down her back. She had been told that it looked a lot nicer that way, and it brought out the faint freckles across her nose. Lily personally liked the freckles. She thought they gave her a fresh, vibrant sort of look.  
  
She planned to go down to the Great Hall and snag a few pieces of toast before going to see Dumbledore. What she didn't plan on was an angry looking owl swooping towards her in the hallway. Lily froze. She didn't have her wand on her. (She always seemed to forget it in her room, or something.)  
  
She just stood there and watched with a growing sense of dread as the owl flew closer to her. That's when she noticed it was carrying a letter. She let out a breath as it dropped the letter into her hands and flew away with a hoot. As if the owl had really planned to attack her. Honestly! She was being ridiculous. She laughed to herself, glad that no one was around to witness that embarrassing moment.  
  
The envelope was white and plain, sort of like the ones delivered by the Muggle postman in her neighborhood back home. She turned it over to see unfamiliar print baring her name. Lily. That's all it said. Not Evans, and not Lily Evans. Just Lily.  
  
She wrinkled her nose in confusion as she mentally went through everyone she knew in her head. Who would send a letter to her like this? It might be from her parents, but she didn't recognize the handwriting, and from having forged both her mother's and father's name in her youth, she knew their handwriting very well.  
  
It could have been someone at school . . . but no, that wouldn't make much sense, considering they could have just came to find her and talk in person. Why send a letter? Everyone knew she was Headgirl and in Gryffindor. She wasn't that hard to come into contact with.  
  
Her breath suddenly caught. What if the someone that had sent her this . . . hadn't wanted to draw attention to himself by talking to her in public, so he sent a letter instead? Lily's heart began to race. Could it be? Was it from him? Had he finally forgiven her for what she had ALMOST done?  
  
Lily cringed at the memory. She had finally cornered that third year with the camera and asked him exactly what he had seen. He replied that he had seen her and James kissing, and that was it. So Lily had been relieved. She had gotten James to transform back in time, and that kid hadn't really seen a thing.  
  
Lily stared down at the envelope. It could have been from James, but . . . what would he have to say to her that he couldn't say in person? She was going to see him in Professor Dumbledore's office that morning anyway . . .  
  
She gasped. She had completely forgotten. Now there was no time for her to eat breakfast. If she wanted to be on time for her meeting, she had to head up to the Headmaster's office now.  
  
She stuffed the letter in her pocket. It would just have to wait for later.  
  
---  
  
Typical James. He had forgotten all about the meeting. Professor Dumbledore had not been pleased. Lily sighed as she asked herself for the millionth time why he was possibly named Headboy. He didn't have a responsible bone in his body.  
  
Lily headed towards the Great Hall, her stomach growling unpleasantly. She spotted James and company, among others, sitting down to a late breakfast. She kept walking until she was sitting as far away from everyone as possible. Kat and Pat were nowhere to be seen, she noticed.  
  
Sighing, she began to help herself to her food when she suddenly remembered the unopened envelope in her pocket. She pulled it out, and ripped it open, dying with curiosity now. Who cared who it was from?  
  
"'How will you come to me?'" Lily read silently. She stopped. That was it. That's all it said.  
  
"How will you come to me?" she repeated out loud. She turned the letter over, but there was nothing on the back. That really was it. And there was nothing else in the envelope.  
  
Lily was stumped. Who on earth - ? Well, more so . . . why? What purpose did that serve? What was it all about? It didn't even make any sense. "How will you come to me?"  
  
She shook her head and put the letter back in her pocket. It was probably just someone playing a joke, or something. It didn't mean anything.  
  
And it wasn't from HIM.  
  
---  
  
James lounged about later in the common room laughing occasionally at the lame jokes Sirius was making. Remus was doing his homework, so he could attend the match (Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff) tomorrow without any worries, and Peter was copying all of his answers when he wasn't looking.  
  
"Potter!" a haughty-sounding voice said from over his head.  
  
James's insides turned to ice. He knew that voice anywhere. He looked up to stare into Lily's – no, Evans's – eyes. "Yes, Evans?" he asked, his voice carefully controlled and oh-so-casual.  
  
Lily didn't even hesitate. "You missed a morning meeting with Professor Dumbledore," she snapped. "He wanted to know where you were. You forgot, I suppose?"  
  
James's eyes widened. "That was TODAY?" he asked. He spun around and stood up to face her. "Why didn't you remind me?"  
  
Lily's eyes flashed with surprise and anger. "Remind you!? Why didn't you remember? You're Headboy!"  
  
"You're just upset because I'm still not speaking to you! So you wanted to get me in trouble!" he said, knowing that it probably wasn't true, but not caring anyway.  
  
Her eyes narrowed and she pursed her lips. "As much as this might surprise you, I don't CARE if you're not speaking to me, James Potter. In fact, I bounce out of my bed every morning with a smile on my face because I know I won't be communicating with you."  
  
James glared at her. "Guess I just ruined your day then, huh?"  
  
Lily closed her eyes, aware that everyone in the room had turned to watch the "fight." She sighed. She really didn't need this right now. "Yes, Potter," she muttered. "Yes, you did." Then, she turned and headed up the stairs to her room.  
  
James threw himself back into his chair, casting a glare around the room to all of the onlookers. The noise immediately started up again, and he sighed.  
  
"She is impossible," he said, running a hand through his hair.  
  
Sirius shrugged while Peter nodded, agreeing with James.  
  
"She's really not that bad, Prongs," Remus said, quietly. "She's a nice enough person when she's not upset."  
  
James shook his head. "I tried to be her friend, remember? And look how that turned out."  
  
"You didn't try to be her FRIEND, James," Remus pointed out. "You kissed her. Friends don't do that."  
  
He scowled. "So? It was a mistake, okay? I was under the influence."  
  
"Of what?" Remus asked, raising his eyebrows.  
  
"Of . . . everything," James said, wistfully. "Just . . . everything, Moony."  
  
"Everything like what?" Sirius asked, impatiently.  
  
"It doesn't matter," he answered. "It's over. It was just a mistake . . . and I fixed it. So don't worry, okay? Evans and I – we were never meant to be friends in the first place."  
  
---  
  
Lily brushed the tears away from her eyes. "Stop it, Lily. It wouldn't have worked out, anyway, you know that. Me and James . . . we're just too different. We were never meant to be friends, anyway."  
  
But she took the letter out of her pocket, smoothed it out, and placed it under her pillow.  
  
Just in case.  
  
---  
  
"How will we connect these hearts?"  
  
James stared at the new letter in his hand. It had arrived this morning from an angry-looking owl pecking furiously on the window. When James opened the window, it had flown in, dropped the letter on the floor and gone back out.  
  
James had seen that familiar-looking white envelope, so he had torn the letter open, hoping that it wasn't as cryptic as last time, and that it contained some answers or something. But no such luck.  
  
"How will we connect these hearts?"  
  
That's all it said. James made an angry, frustrated sound and crumpled up the letter. Who in the world was sending these? And what did they mean? Connect hearts? What the bloody hell was that all about?  
  
And the first one . . . "Lately, I find I've been caught up in these thoughts." What thoughts? Who was thinking? And what exactly were they thinking about, whoever it was?  
  
James shuddered. He hoped he really didn't have a stalker, or a crazy psycho loon who was in love with him, or something. That would be so wrong somehow.  
  
He yawned and headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast. Even Remus wasn't up, yet, but James had scheduled an early morning pep talk as Captain and all that, and as Captain, he really needed to be there before anyone else.  
  
He snorted as he thought about what Lily – Evans – would say: "You take your Quidditch duties more importantly than your Headboy duties!" She would be appalled, he imagined. He sighed.  
  
No, he didn't need Evans. And he certainly didn't miss her at all. He really was better off without her. Just like she was better off without him.  
  
They weren't meant to be friends.  
  
---  
  
"Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!" Kathryn ran around the dormitory that morning yelling and screaming. "Owwww! Get it away from me! It's stuck in my head!"  
  
"What? The voices?" Pat mumbled from under the covers.  
  
"NO! THE OWL!" Kathryn yelled.  
  
Lily sat straight up. There was an OWL in their dormitory? How in the world?  
  
"Stand still," she said, marching over to Kathryn. The girl did as she was told, and Lily untangled the poor owl from Kat's hair. Wait . . . this "poor owl" looked awfully familiar.  
  
As soon as Lily freed it, it dropped an envelope on Kat's hair and flew out of the open window. "Who left the window open last night?" she asked, exasperatedly. "I tell you guys over and over, if you leave the window open, something WILL come in, and do you listen? No, of course you don't listen. Why? I don't – "  
  
"Lily, stop talking to yourself, and take this," Kat said, handing her the letter. "It has your name on it."  
  
It was a plain white envelope, same as before. Lily's heart started pounding. Maybe this one would explain the last one. She went and sat on her bed, forgetting all about the open window.  
  
"Who's it from?" a more awake Pat said.  
  
"I don't know," Lily said. "It doesn't have a return address."  
  
She read it to herself silently. 'Are you somewhere near, hidden like a four leaf clover?' She shook her head. "Arrgh! This one doesn't make sense, either!" she said.  
  
"What does it say?" Kat asked, plopping down on Lily's bed.  
  
Lily sighed, and pulled the other letter from under her pillow. "I got this one yesterday. Read this first, then the new one."  
  
Kat read both of them over, then looked up at Lily with an expression that conveyed she was just as puzzled as Lily was.  
  
"I don't get it," Kat said. "Are they from a secret admirer, or something?"  
  
Lily's eyes widened. "No! They couldn't be . . . I mean, that just doesn't make sense."  
  
"Why not?" Kat asked. "Secret admirers are cool. And look, it does too make sense. Like he's looking for you, or something." Kat read the letters back to Lily out loud. "'How will you come to me? Are you somewhere near, hidden like a four-leaf clover?' Lily – clover . . . clover – Lily. See?"  
  
Lily laughed, snatching the letters back. "No, I do not see!" she said, giggling. "And are you making fun of my name?"  
  
Kat just grinned, exchanging a glance with Pat.  
  
"Sooo . . ." Pat interjected. "Who's going to the match today?"  
  
Lily shook her head. "Nuh uh, don't try to change the subject! You were making fun of my name!"  
  
"What's in a name?" Kat said, giggling. "A lily, by any other name, would smell as – "  
  
"Don't finish that!" Lily warned, picking up her pillow. She held it menacingly over Kat's head. Kat laughed, and Lily bopped her with the pillow.  
  
"Hey! I didn't say anything!" Kat protested.  
  
"You had that look on your face," Lily said, smugly. They looked at each other and burst out laughing.  
  
Lily grinned. See? She didn't need a secret admirer. Or Potter. She had all the friendship she needed right here.  
  
Didn't she?  
  
---  
  
A/N: I admit, the story has taken quite a new turn. But that's because I'm in quite a good mood, so my writing style is probably going to be a bit different. It really does change with my mood. LoL. Makes me laugh.  
  
(Oh, and I do not own Jessica Simpson . . . and I do not own Shakespeare.) If you don't know why I said that . . . don't worry about it. (smile!)  
  
Ariana S. 


	14. pokery

A/N: I gots me a new story up! It's called "Scarred" for those of you who don't know. PLEASE read it. I implore you all to read it! Please! If you really luv my stories, you'll at least check it out. It's a MWPP fic (lol – of course) and the main character is Remus. They're only 13 in this fic, but it's really quite cute, I think, and it's only going to be 4 chapters long. So PLEASE take the time to read it. Thanks!  
  
calforniagurl: I'm glad you liked it! I like their lil' fights, too! Heehee. And I'm happy that I put you in a good mood, also!  
  
gab3: Haha, yes, it's quite delicious. One word of advice, tho – don't drink it on an empty stomach. Bleah. Heehee, yeah, Jessica Simpson. Happy you liked it!  
  
Angel Black1: lol – AP English. Ah. Not taking it was probably the best decision I made after seeing so many of my friends struggle helplessly . . . And the poem. Teehee. Yes, Lily and James SHOULD try to figure that out . . . Thanks for reviewing!  
  
Nathalie17: You'll have to read to find out about the letters. All of the fluffy goodness is in this chapter! Heehee. Thanks!  
  
MWPP Fanatic: Moony is a very good actor. And YES, James most definitely does need Lily. Romance . . . (sigh)  
  
Tim Knispel: Yeah, mystery letters are cool. Heehee. Thanks, I'm glad you like the idea. I've seen it in movies and stuff a lot, so I thought, "hey, why not try it?" Glad to see it worked! And yeah, your name, haha. Hey, do you think I could use it in a future story? At least your last name, anyway . . . Thanks again!  
  
iLuvDuckies29: I'm glad you like it! You'll find out about those letters soon enough! Here's more, and thanks for reading!  
  
Erkith: Heehee, thanks! I'm glad you liked the disclaimer. You're the first person that commented on it . . . and the story, glad you like that, too! Here's more!  
  
sunni07: HAHA, yeah! He does! (gets hit by tomatoes from militant feminists b/c I wouldn't remember to duck) LOL. Oh, and even if JKR does reveal how Lily and James got together, I still wouldn't stop writing MY stories . . . I'm betting a lot of other people won't either, so I really wouldn't worry. (SMILE!)  
  
Miss Effie: Thank you very, very, very much! I'm really happy that you like it! Um . . . I hope this has the happiness you're looking for. If it doesn't, then it will come along soon. Promise! Heehee, I will most definitely keep up the sexual innuendo. I love including that . . . It makes me laugh, too.  
  
Spikora: Thanks! Well, of course, the letters have to do with Remus and Sirius! They're the Marauders! You think they WOULDN'T be behind this idea? LOL. (evil grin back)  
  
Nikki: I'm glad you liked it! I hope you like this one, too! Thanks for the review!  
  
Book Lover990: Thanks bunches! Here's more for you!!!  
  
silentauror: Thanks a lot! I look forward to writing the rest! Heehee. And I'll think about another (ahem) stag ride. lol  
  
TenkunoMeiou: YAY! I will! Heehee. Thanks for revewing!  
  
Quiteona: Right. All Remus's idea. And the others are helping. Yeah, you do say that every time . . . But it's okay! It's cool, it makes me wanna write more! Yup, I'm feeling a LOT better! Thanks a lot!  
  
anniePADFOOT: Haha, so I see you've resorted back to the laziness . . .Tsk, tsk. What shall I do with you? Oh, I know! DETENTION! And you lose your house 20 points! Jk, jk! Oh, yeah, I get it. About the idea. That's what I thought you meant, but I just wanted to be sure . . . yeah, it IS a new concept. It seems like in almost every story I read, Lily gets mad at James, so I wanted to show that Lily is NOT perfect. Guess I did alright, cuz now people are telling me Lily's evil. Heehee. Thanks for the review!  
  
Jessica: YAY for no confusion! Confusion is a bad thing that should go away and die! (unless of course, if you wanted to confuse someone else on purpose. Then, it would a good thing!) Heehee, now I'm confused . . . Oh, yeah. Your review. I'm supposed to be answering that . . . Well, I'm glad you like it! And don't do anything bad! Bad is not good.  
  
Animalluvr75: Thank you soooo much! I'm glad you like all the chapters!  
  
TitouMoony: HI HI! Remus IS in this chapter, so don't worry! He's still here! Heehee. Here's more! I hope you like it!  
  
THANKS AGAIN, EVERYBODY! HERE'S MORE!  
  
---  
  
Disclaimer: Teehee, it's not mine, and I'm feeling particularly hyper today, a wee bit tipsy (even tho I've never drank a day in my life), and deliriously happy . . . (even tho I still don't own Jessica Simpson)  
  
Chapter Fourteen – Pokery  
  
"Sirius, did you remember to put the letter in his Quidditch robes?" Remus asked, as he scanned the bleachers for three available seats.  
  
"Yeah," Sirius answered. "He'll find it when he's changing. And I sent the other one to Evans off with an owl."  
  
"Good," Remus said, triumphantly. "This is going to work! I can feel it. This is the best idea we've had in a long time, Padfoot. I have complete confidence that – "  
  
"Hello, Remus," an extremely familiar voice said, causing Remus to freeze up completely.  
  
He spun around, his face bright red. "Oh, uh, hello, Kathryn." He smiled tightly. "How are you?"  
  
She grinned. "Just fine. And you?"  
  
"Peachy," Remus choked. From behind Kathryn, Sirius was making googly-eye faces. Remus made himself a mental note to strangle his friend after the match.  
  
"I was wondering if you would like to sit with us," Kathryn offered. "It's not much room because Patricia and Lily are there, too, but we could squeeze you three in."  
  
"Okay," Peter said quickly. Remus guessed he was tired of standing. He looked over at Sirius, who was now making fish faces behind Kathryn's head. Remus gave him a hard smile.  
  
"Sirius? Would you like to go sit with them?" he said, evenly.  
  
Sirius batted his eyelashes as Kathryn turned around, awaiting his answer. "I'd looove to," he said, clasping his hands together.  
  
Remus rolled his eyes as Kat and Peter laughed. He sighed, starting up the bleachers towards a head of noticeable red hair. It was going to be a long match.  
  
---  
  
"What the - ?" James snatched his hand out of his Quidditch robe sleeve, and examined it. He had a paper cut. Carefully, he reached back into his robe, and plucked the blameworthy piece of parchment from his sleeve. It was a plain white envelope.  
  
James groaned. "Not another one!"  
  
He tore the letter open, and pulled out the parchment, reading it quickly. "'Are you miles away?'" James made a noise of annoyance, and struggled against his urge to tear up the piece of parchment.  
  
"Are you miles away? Miles away from what!?" he exclaimed.  
  
"Um, J-James . . ."  
  
"Who the hell is sending these!?" James continued.  
  
"J-James . . . the game . . . "  
  
"WHAT?" he snapped, turning angry eyes on one of his teammates, who flinched in return.  
  
"The game is about to start. We've been called out already."  
  
"Shit!" James quickly stuffed the letter with the rest of his things, wincing as his finger came into harsh contact with the bag. Then, he dressed in record speed, and grabbed his broomstick – a Windstorm360.  
  
Damn the letters. He was going to win this stupid game!  
  
---  
  
"'Are we getting any closer?'" Lily read. She scowled, rereading it a second, and a third time.  
  
"Is that all it says, Lily?" Esther, one of Kat's Ravenclaw friends, asked her.  
  
"That's all it says," Lily sighed. "See the others? They're all the same. They each have one cryptic message, and then that's it."  
  
"And there's no explanation, or anything?" Esther said.  
  
"None," Lily shook her head. "Pat and Kat think they might be from some sort of secret admirer, but I'm not so sure – " Lily suddenly stopped speaking.  
  
"Hey, Lils!" Sirius said, ambling up to them. "Howsit going?"  
  
"Just fine," Lily answered, narrowing her eyes. "Aren't you supposed to be watching the match?"  
  
"I could say the same for you and your friend," Sirius said, grinning. He winked at Esther causing her to turn a violent shade of scarlet.  
  
Lily sighed, deciding to ignore the display. "I would've stayed, but you know that owl that was flying around one of the goal posts? It was looking for me. As soon as I left, it delivered this letter to me."  
  
"And your friend?" Sirius said, switching his gaze back to Esther.  
  
Esther's eyes widened. "Um, I-I don't . . . "  
  
"She detests Quidditch," Lily said, smirking. "Loathes it."  
  
Sirius's own eyes widened. He appeared taken-aback. "What!? But-but . . ."  
  
Lily giggled. "My dear, Esther, you seem to have rendered Mr. Black speechless."  
  
Sirius clutched at his throat in a fit of dramatics while Lily laughed, and Esther looked slightly terrified.  
  
Lily cleared her throat. "Sirius, you never did tell us what you were doing out here," she said, smiling.  
  
Sirius shrugged. "Maybe I was curious. What does that letter say?"  
  
"None of your business," Lily replied at the same time that Esther blurted, "It's a love letter."  
  
"Esther!" Lily exclaimed. "It is NOT a love letter, and Black, don't you dare go running your mouth. It's nothing of the sort, I assure you!"  
  
Sirius's mouth dropped open. "You, too?"  
  
"What?" Lily asked, confused. "What do you mean, me, too?" Her eyes suddenly darkened. "Wait. Has someone else been receiving love letters?"  
  
"Oops," Sirius said, sheepishly. "Um, Evans, just forget I ever said that, okay?"  
  
"No, I most certainly will NOT," Lily said. Sirius tried to back away, but she grabbed him by his shirt collar. "Tell me, Black! Who else has been getting love letters?"  
  
"I can't tell you," Sirius said. "Marauder honor, and all that jazz."  
  
"So it's one of your friends, then, is it?" Lily said, tightening her grip. She hesitated. "Tell me . . . is it Potter?"  
  
Sirius stared at her. "Why would you think that?"  
  
"Well . . . it wouldn't be Remus, on account of Kat's possessiveness," Lily said, grinning. She let go of Sirius. "And it wouldn't be you because all the girls who fancy you are too bloody FORWARD to be sending love letters, if you don't mind me saying."  
  
"Oh, no, no. Go ahead and insult me. Really, I don't mind," Sirius muttered.  
  
"And Peter?" Lily continued, as if she hadn't heard him. "Getting love letters?" She was faintly repulsed by the idea. "Um, I really don't think it's likely."  
  
Even Sirius had to agree with that one, and Esther nodded. "So, it's Potter, then?" Lily asked, her tone conveying nothing.  
  
Sirius searched her face. "Yeah, it's James," he replied. "But I won't tell him you're getting them, too. He'll go ballistic."  
  
"What? Why?" Lily asked, curiously.  
  
Sirius just shook his head. "I've already said too much, Evans. I have to get back to the match before Remus starts to wonder. Bye."  
  
Esther watched him go, a look of longing on her face. "Lily . . . you don't suppose he's behind it all, do you?"  
  
"What?" Lily raised her eyebrows. "Behind all of what?"  
  
"You know," Esther said, her eyes on Sirius's back. "He could be the one. Sending you both the love letters . . . making you fall for each other. He's romantic enough to do it."  
  
Lily snorted. "Sirius? Ha! Not bloody likely!"  
  
---  
  
"BLOODY PAPER CUT!!!" James roared that night in the common room. "STUPID BLOODY PAPER CUT COST ME THE MATCH! COST GRYFFINDOR THE MATCH!"  
  
"James, we still have a shot at the cup. It's not like we've lost the entire season. It's just one match – " Remus said, reasonably.  
  
"ONE MATCH!? ONE MATCH, MY ARSE!"  
  
"James, calm down," Remus said, refusing to back down. "It's ONLY one match! You can make it up, later. Just sit down. Relax, and tell us exactly what went wrong."  
  
Casting a final glare around the common room, James let out a breath, and collapsed into his favorite couch near the fire.  
  
"You can continue with all of your conversations. Nothing to see here!" Sirius announced, and at once, the noise level in the common room went up as people did exactly what he told them, and continued with their conversations. Sirius grinned, and turned his attention back to James.  
  
"Paper cut," James said, hoarsely. "I got a paper cut. Another of those damn letters cost me the snitch."  
  
Remus's and Sirius's eyes went wide. "Really?" Remus said. "Oh." He seemed to be at a loss for words.  
  
"Well, what did it say this time? Any explanations?" Sirius asked, exchanging a glance with Remus.  
  
James didn't even notice. "No," he sighed. "It said, 'Are you miles away?'"  
  
"Cryptic," Remus commented.  
  
"I know," James said. "And I still have no idea who's sending them."  
  
"Uh, James . . . this may not be the best time to tell you this, but . . ." Sirius hesitated.  
  
"Spill," James said.  
  
"I, um, I kinda, sorta let it slip to Evans that you were getting love letters."  
  
James stared at him, unblinkingly. "How, Sirius? How did you SORTA let it slip?" His voice was very controlled, but there was a muscle twitching on his face, a sign that he was either about to reach out and break something, or he was about to start yelling again.  
  
"Now, don't get mad, Prongsie," Sirius said, quickly, "but Evans said she's been getting them, too."  
  
"What?" James's expression switched to one of utter surprise. "Really?"  
  
"Maybe it's a Head thing," Remus put in. "Maybe you guys should get together and talk about it."  
  
"Hn. I don't think so. I don't really have a desire to talk to Evans about anything," James said, leaning his head back and closing his eyes. "Nice try, though."  
  
Remus and Sirius exchanged a sour glance. Nice try indeed.  
  
---  
  
"Well, whether you like it or not, Potter, we have to work together," Lily said, exasperatedly. She threw up her hands in annoyance when he continued to ignore her. "WORKING together means TALKING to each other, Potter!"  
  
James merely turned another page of "Quidditch Past and Present." Lily felt her face heat up. He was SO aggravating! Moving quickly, she snatched the book out of his hand, and tossed it on the floor behind her.  
  
"You are really starting to annoy me," Lily snapped.  
  
"That's a brand new book," James replied, mildly. He grabbed his wand, and summoned the book back to him, only aggravating Lily further.  
  
Lily closed her eyes and counted to ten, trying to relax herself, while James looked on in amusement and boredom. "Potter . . . as much as we both don't want to do this, we have to, okay?" she said, opening her eyes. "You weren't at the meeting, so it's my job to fill you in. So would you let me do that, and stop being so difficult?"  
  
He just shrugged.  
  
Lily sighed. "Professor Dumbledore has this new idea for the school. He feels that the issue of Muggleborns and Purebloods – their differences – are becoming too serious outside of school in the wizarding community, and he wants to keep things light and easy inside the school. To "tone everything down a bit," he says. So he wants us to come up with an idea that would show the school how BOTH Muggle technology and Wizarding technology can benefit everyone, if we would all just take the time to see past the differences."  
  
James brought his eyes up to meet hers. "Any ideas, then?" he said, casually. He ran one hand through his hair, mussing it up.  
  
Lily ignored the action, sure he was doing it only to annoy her. "No, actually," she admitted. "I was hoping you would think of some."  
  
Before he could say anything, an owl flew into the library through an open window, and slammed into the side of James's head, causing both owl and human to yelp in pain.  
  
"Oh, no!" Lily exclaimed. She jumped up and ran to the other side of the table. "You poor thing!" She knelt down, completely ignoring James, and cooed at the stunned owl.  
  
James glared at her. "You are something else, Evans."  
  
Lily glowered at him for a second, then turned back to the owl. "I know. He just has such a BIG head that you couldn't see around it . . . Just ignore the mean, mean boy."  
  
James snorted. "I think you mean to say, ignore the mean, mean GIRL."  
  
"Why, Potter, I had no idea you thought of yourself in that way," Lily said, coldly. The owl flapped its wings, dropped a letter on her arm, hooted its thanks, and flew back out of the window. It was a plain white envelope.  
  
"Just give me my letter, Evans," James said, glowering.  
  
"What makes you think it's for you?" Lily said, holding it back, out of his reach.  
  
"Who would write to YOU?" he shot back.  
  
Lily bristled. "Obviously, this letter is for ME, Potter, or else the owl wouldn't have dropped it on me!"  
  
"Well, he did fly into MY head, first! Maybe he was confused!" James argued.  
  
Lily rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Potter." Without even bothering to check the name on the front, she started to open the letter.  
  
James was in front of her, and the letter was in his hands before she could blink. He was face to face with her. Lily stopped breathing. This was familiar.  
  
"Don't read my private mail, Evans," James said, quietly, but firmly.  
  
Lily took a step back, suddenly feeling rather dizzy. "It's not yours," she muttered. "Just look at the name. I'm sure it says, 'Lily' on the front, just like the rest of them."  
  
James gave her a strange glance, then turned it over without argument this time. He glanced at it, then glanced up at her. Then, back to the letter. "It . . . It DOES say Lily."  
  
"See? I told you – " She made a grab for the letter, but James held it away from her.  
  
"And James," he added. "It says Lily and James."  
  
"What?" she said, moving closer to him. She took the letter before he could protest, and finished opening it.  
  
Lily and James stared wordlessly at the letter, then back up at each other. "This is it," Lily said, wrinkling her forehead. "Some of these lines. They're from the letters I've been getting."  
  
"Me, too," James said. "This first line, here . . . 'Lately, I find I'm caught up in these thoughts . . .'"  
  
"How will you come to me?" Lily continued, shakily.  
  
"How will we connect these hearts?" James said in turn.  
  
"Are you somewhere near, hidden like a four leaf clover?" she looked up at James, no longer needing to read the letter. She knew the lines by heart.  
  
"Are you miles away?" he said. His eyes were no longer on the letter, either.  
  
"Are we getting any closer?" Lily whispered. She was being drawn in, hypnotized by those hazel depths of . . . passion?  
  
"There's more," he said, suddenly, tearing his gaze away from hers. "'I already see us moving mountains . . .'"  
  
"'I already see us walk in water . . .'"  
  
"'I already see the clouds we're flying over and under . . .'"  
  
"'I can really see us having babies, walking through the park and being lazy . . .'"  
  
"'I already see myself falling in love eternally,'" James finished, looking back up at her. His eyes asked a silent question, tentative hopefulness replacing the tension in the air.  
  
"I'm sorry, James," Lily said, biting her lip. "I am so, SO sorry. Nothing gave me the right to do that. Nothing. I understand if you hate me, but please don't. Please, please don't because . . . because . . ." Lily blushed.  
  
James turned crimson, sensing what she was about to say. "It's okay, Lily. I mean, it's not okay, but you don't have to – "  
  
"I like you, James."  
  
---  
  
A/N: MWAHAHAHAHA! I WILL END IT THERE! MWAHAHAHA! Why, you ask? Because Ice Cream is calling, that's why! MWAHAHAHAHA! Lol – I'm gonna be even more hyper later cuz of this . . .  
  
And don't forget to read "Scarred." I REALLY would love to know what you all think of it! Thanks a lot!  
  
Ariana S. 


	15. hocus

A/N: ok... is being stupid. the flow of the story is interrupted because i can't put in anything to show that time has passed... like an extra space between paragraphs or some little symbol... (you guys probably have no clue what i'm talking about, but if you look at earlier chapters, whenever there's a new part there's three little lines to show that time has passed or it's a new pov or something, and it's being stupid and won't let me do that anymore... so i don't know how else to show it without putting something in parenthesis or... something) sigh... ok, how bout this, in place of the three little lines, i'll just put this: "mwmwmwmw" instead... so whenever you see "_mwmwmwmw_" it means that time has passed or the pov is being switched... hopefully that will interrupt no one's flow.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, a few characters, and a bad conscience . . .

Chapter Fifteen – Hocus

_mwmwmwmw_

"I'm sorry, James," Lily said, biting her lip. "I am so, SO sorry. Nothing gave me the right to do that. Nothing. I understand if you hate me, but please don't. Please, please don't because . . . because . . ." Lily blushed.

James turned crimson, sensing what she was about to say. "It's okay, Lily. I mean, it's not okay, but you don't have to – "

"I like you, James."

_mwmwmwmw_

There. She had said it. It was out. And now that it was out, it was no longer a fantasy for her, but a reality. A very real reality. A reality that she wasn't quite ready to deal with considering the way her mind just kept babbling on and on like this, searching for some rational explanation to tell her why James – Potter, he's Potter to you, remember? – why Potter hadn't responded yet.

"James?" she whispered, afraid because he wasn't talking, yet not wanting him to talk either.

He was merely staring at her. It seemed that he was in shock. It might have been the first name thing. Yes, that could have been it.

"Potter?" she said even more quietly. Maybe he had gone deaf. Maybe the combined shock of an owl flying through the library window and her sudden confession had rendered him deaf. 'Yes, Lily, that makes perfect sense,' she thought, shaking her head, mentally. 'Merlin . . .'

"POTTER?" Ok, now his staring was beginning to creep her out. Also, he was turning a bit red, as if he hadn't breathed in quite a while . . . "POTTER?" She straightened up, grabbed his shoulders, and roughly started shaking him.

James blinked and took a deep breath. Lily released him. "Merlin, Lily . . ." he said, still wearing that shocked expression "Merlin . . ."

"Thank goodness!" she said, momentarily forgetting her embarrassment. "I thought you were petrified, or something!"

"And that's your method for dealing with petrification?" James muttered. "I hope you never become a mediwitch . . . I would fear for your patients."

She giggled, then caught her breath. He was so handsome when he sitting there like that. Annoyed and all – Lily stopped . . . And she had just told him that she liked him! Oh, no! What had she been thinking? This was . . . this was insane . . .

He must've suddenly remembered, too, because his face was rapidly turning bright red. That meant he was blushing. Gods, she had made him blush! The realization turned her beet red, too.

"I bet we look like a right pair of fools," he mumbled, "standing here blushing and all." She tried to smile at his attempt to make light of the situation, but couldn't. She was too nervous at what he would do next.

"So, do you . . ." she started, then stopped and looked up at him. She met his gaze, still feeling rather humiliated as she moved toward a chair and sat down. "Do you have any ideas, then?"

"Huh?" he stared at her, confusedly. "Ideas?"

"What Dumbledore wants us to do . . . Remember?" Lily said, attempting to change the subject. "The whole reason we agreed to meet here . . . Headboy and Girl business . . ."

"Evans, don't you think we should talk about what just happened?" he interrupted.

"What good will talking about it some more do? I've already said everything I need to say," she replied, stiffly. She was avoiding his gaze.

"Well, I haven't," he said, softly. "Evans . . . Lily . . ." At the mention of her first name, she looked up and was surprised to see that he was sitting in the chair next to hers. They were so close . . .

She couldn't speak if she wanted to.

_mwmwmwmw_

James's heart was pounding. He wondered what Lily felt like right now. His own stomach was flip-flopping all over the place and the adrenaline rushing through him was intense. Her face was flushed. He knew his had to be as well. He couldn't describe this feeling. She had just told him . . . The object of his desire for the past few weeks, betrayal or not, he still really felt something strong for her . . . and she had just told him that she liked him.

Wasn't he supposed to be happy right now? Shouldn't he have been turning cartwheels on the tables and shouting happiness at the top of his lungs?

"I – I . . ." he stopped. He suddenly didn't know what to say. Should he describe this feeling to her? This feeling of . . . of what? Of disappointment?

He looked into her eyes. They were full of fear, anxiousness . . . and deep down he saw hope, though she was hiding it rather well. What did she want him to say? That he liked her, too? DID he like her, too? Still? He looked away. Honestly, he didn't know.

"Potter?" she whispered. Jeez, he could hear the hope in her voice . . .

"I need time," he said suddenly. "I need time to think."

She didn't say anything for a few moments. Then, she stood. "Alright," she replied. "Okay. Time. I understand. I can give you that."

He nodded, then watched as she hurried away from him and out of the library. He breathed a sigh of relief. He had never been so relieved to see her go.

Sirius was grinning as James entered his dorm. "So? What's new?"

His best friend glared at him. "You were behind those letters, weren't you?"

Sirius and Remus shared a glance, then Remus shrugged. "So what's new?" he asked, repeating Sirius's question. Sirius kept on grinning.

"Nothing," James said, sighing. He collapsed on his bed. "She told me that she likes me."

"WOOOO HOOOO!" Sirius yelled, startling Peter who was sitting beside him on the floor. They had been playing Exploding Snap. "YEAH! WAY TO GO, PRONGS!"

James just shrugged. "Eh," he said.

"Eh?" Sirius looked at Remus who also shrugged. "Eh?" Sirius repeated. "Hey, Jamesie, what does 'eh' mean? I thought you and Evans getting together was what you wanted?"

"I don't know anymore," James said. "I don't know what I want, anymore."

"But, Prongs – "

"Look, Sirius, it was just a silly little crush, okay? Now, I think maybe I'm over it," James interrupted. He started to pull the curtains around his bed.

"Are you sure?" Remus said, quietly. "Are you sure you're 'over it'? Because you seem pretty upset for a guy who's over it."

James just shrugged again.

"James, I think maybe you should – " Remus started, worriedly.

"It doesn't matter, okay? It doesn't matter that Evans thinks she likes me or what I think, or even if I like her back or anything because I just CAN'T," James said hastily. "It doesn't matter because I can't be with her. I can't. Not after what she did. How can I? We can't BE anything because I can't trust her. I just can't."

"You mean you won't let yourself," Remus said, persistently. "You like her James. Who knows, you might even love her. But because of some silly little mistake, you – "

"REMUS! How can YOU of all people say something like that?" James was seriously shocked. "Her 'silly little mistake' could've gotten us expelled! Kicked out of Hogwarts! Do you realize the seriousness of this situation? Do you know what you're asking me to do?"

"We're asking you to forgive her," Sirius interrupted, "like you forgave me."

James stopped and stared at him. Remus stared at him. Peter stared because that's what everyone else was doing.

"You remember that incident two years ago?" Sirius spoke in low tones. "You forgave me for that, remember? So did Remus. And we were caught that time. I'd say that situation was a LOT worse than it is now. The only thing this kid caught you doing was kissing. You're lucky that was the only thing."

"And she's apologized, James," Remus reminded him. "She knows that what she did was wrong and she apologized for it. I think . . . you should give her another chance."

_mwmwmwmw_

Lily stared down at her breakfast three days later. He said he needed time, but how much time did he need exactly? It was either, "Hey, guess what Evans! I like you, too!" or "Sorry, Evans, I've outgrown you and your selfish ways." Lily grimaced. Wouldn't that be the day? When James Potter turned down Lily Evans on account of immaturity . . . How ironic.

"Lily?"

"Lily!" someone tapped her on the shoulder. She looked up. Pat.

"Hi," Lily said, returning her gaze to her breakfast. She moved some grits around with her fork.

"Lily, you need to snap out of it," Kat said. "So, he turned you down – "

"He did NOT turn me down," Lily growled.

"No, he didn't," Pat said soothingly, throwing a nasty glance at Kathryn.

"He just said he needed time. That's a good thing, right?" Lily continued. She cast a hopeful glance at the pair of them. "It's a good thing?"

"It can be," Pat replied.

"Yeah, it means he's thinking about it," Kathryn added. "And from the way he's been staring at you all through breakfast, I'm guessing it's a very good thing."

"What?" Lily turned her head to look. Sure enough, Potter looked quickly away from her. It was evident that he HAD been staring. Lily felt herself start to blush. This was no good. She was acting like one of Potter's fan club members, and that was NOT acceptable. She was Lily Evans. She was Headgirl. She wasn't boy-crazy and she prided herself on that.

"Remember who you are," she whispered to herself.

"What?" Kat asked.

"Nothing." She gave her friends a tight smile and stood up. "Well, it looks like I'm not very hungry. I'm going to head back to the common room until classes start. Look over my homework one more time. See you two soon!" She smiled again and headed for the hall before either of them had time to try and stop her.

"Hey Evans!" Lily froze, halfway to the common room. She spun around to face him. Oh no. Not now. She wasn't ready for this now.

"Yes?" she said, wearily.

Potter grinned at her, then ran a hand through his hair. "Do you think we could talk?" he asked.

"Oh . . . Um . . . Not now," Lily said. She took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, but I haven't got the time. Classes start soon and I want to look over my homework one last time before I turn it in. I think I might've forgotten a book or two in my dormitory, also. Maybe some other time would be good?"

Leaving him there, she hurried away faster than before, practically sprinting to Gryffindor Tower.

_mwmwmwmw_

James watched her all through Charms. She seemed tired. Exhausted, even. He wondered if she was tired for the same reason he was? Thinking about her was tiring. And for the past three days, that's all he had been doing. Thinking about her.

He wondered if she was getting impatient. She said he would give him time, and he had to give her credit for that. She hadn't come up to him and demand that he talk to her, or anything. In fact, it didn't even seem like she WANTED to talk to him. James knew that if it had been the other way around, three days would have been entirely too long. Hell, ONE day was long enough!

He sighed. Here he was, getting impatient with her for having the patience he would never have. He almost grinned to himself. Lily would have said that he was being perfectly ridiculous. He sighed again. He missed her . . .

"For goodness sake, mate! Talk to her after class!" Sirius hissed, elbowing James in the side.

James scowled at him. Now how did Sirius know what he was thinking? Because Sirius is your best friend, he answered himself. He always knows what you're thinking. James shook his head. He really needed to clear his head. Maybe he would go for a walk after class . . . Maybe he would arrange to "accidentally on purpose" bump into a certain Miss Evans on his way . . . Maybe, if he was lucky, Miss Evans would agree to talk to him, and he could have everything that was in his head out in the open instead.

"I will," he said, decidedly, really talking to himself more so than Sirius. "I'll talk to her after class."

_mwmwmwmw_

A/N: I'm going to say "I'm sorry" once and hope that we can forgive and forget together all about our lovely author who took an extended leave of absence from the world of fanfiction and promises to update in the very near future.

So, I'm sorry! For leaving you people at the end of that chapter. I promised I wouldn't abandon this story and that's exactly what I did! But I'm back now, so hopefully no one carries a grudge against me. I hope my writing style hasn't changed much . . .

Ariana S.


	16. pocus

A/N: Aw, youse guys, this is gonna be my next to last chapter, I think . . . Depends on how the plot fans out . . . but it's looking like a definite maybe.

Mary-Jane Black: Thanks for not forgetting about my story and not giving up on me!

Sweet Sarcasm: Sorry about that! Here's more for you!

Luckyloo 16: Thanks to you too for not forgetting! I was worried I might have lost everyone who used to read this! Thank you! Here's more!

Coco-Pop: Thanks! I try not to make my Lily like all of the other Lilies I've read. You're right, she always does seem to forget and forgive or understand too quickly or too easily, and I don't think a real person would be like that, so I didn't make her that way. Thanks for noticing!

PleaseExcuseTheOrneryPenguins: haha! First, I have to say, FABULOUS NAME! It's so funny! Thank you! I try to spell check and correct everything before putting the final thing up here, but of course, I can never check EVERYTHING. I'm glad I seem to be doing a good job, though! Thanks for the review!

DobbyGrl: Thank you so much! Here's more for you!

Jersey Princess: Lily… um… she… LOL. I can't remember either… Oh wait, yes I can! She almost got James caught in his Animagi form, remember? He could have been expelled and all that jazz… Anywho, thanks!

livingdead2010: Thanks a lot! Here's more!

Jinger: I completely agree with you. It definitely wasn't the best I've ever written. Nor, was it was worst… lol. Scary thought, huh? I was in such a rush to get out that last chapter, so I'm afraid it wasn't very exciting . . . Hopefully, this one is better! Hope you enjoy!

cylobaby: Thank you! The letter idea wasn't very original, I think I might have seen it somewhere before… or dreamed about it, maybe… but thanks anyway! And yes, you're right! James DEFINITELY belongs with Lily!

Titou Moony: Hello you! I stopped writing and reading fics for a LOOONG time… I just couldn't seem to find any really good ones about our favorite Remus, so I didn't want to read or write ANYTHING. I wasn't inspired! Wahhh! Haha! Well, thank you for keeping up with my stories, still! You're the best! And you've been with me the WHOLE TIME so thank you so much! xoxoxo!

TenkunoMeiou: Well, my fanfic spirit/soul died for a while . . . Does that count? Lol. I'm glad YOU'RE back, and I'm glad I didn't lose everyone that used to read this story! Thanks for sticking around! Here's more!

Disclaimer: I own nothing, but the plot, a few characters, and a bad conscience . . .

Chapter Sixteen – Pocus

_mwmwmwmw_

Maybe he would arrange to "accidentally on purpose" bump into a certain Miss Evans on his way . . . Maybe, if he was lucky, Miss Evans would agree to talk to him, and he could have everything that was in his head out in the open instead.

"I will," he said, decidedly, really talking to himself more so than Sirius. "I'll talk to her after class."

_mwmwmwmw_

Lily tapped her quill impatiently on the table in front of her. Charms was her best subject, her FAVORITE subject, and she loved it to death, she really did, but she couldn't seem to remember when it had lasted so LONG before. It was ridiculous sitting here in class, when she could be elsewhere . . . escaping from James.

And speaking of James, he was watching her again. He had been watching her constantly, almost. For three days. Ever since they had had that talk. Lily inwardly cringed. She would never know what had possessed her to suddenly blurt that out . . . to confess like that . . . Lily Evans did NOT blurt out her feelings.

" . . . Evans? Could you perhaps demonstrate the proper wand motion for us?" Lily unconsciously heard Professor Flitwick ask.

She blinked. Never before had she answered anything wrong in Charms. She EXCELLED in Charms. Lily took a deep breath. Careful, girl, she told herself. Calm down. Just ask him to repeat the question. Everyone has off days, it's no big deal.

Just when she was about to open her mouth to ask, the bell rang, signaling the end of their lesson.

"Oh, my, how the time does fly!" the Professor squeaked. "Your homework is an essay on the Color-changing Charms created by Kindelwald Grupowsky. Since you are seventh years, I expect no less than twenty inches. Due two weeks from Friday! Class dismissed!"

Lily sighed with relief and began to gather her things.

"Lucky break, huh?" she heard a low voice say by her side. Her breath caught in her throat. James.

Slowly, she straightened up to meet his gaze. She noted that he looked rather nervous. Lily felt her heart plummet. Any news that was brought with a messenger whose face looked like that couldn't be good news . . .

"I . . . I have to get to dinner," she stammered, mentally cursing herself for not coming up with a better excuse. Now she probably sounded like a pig.

"So do I," he said, quickly. "But I was wondering if we . . . if maybe we could talk first? I could walk you to the Great Hall. I told my friends to go ahead without me."

"Oh," Lily replied, "Um, but I have to . . . go to Gryffindor Tower first. I'm meeting someone . . ."

"Oh. I see," he said. "Okay . . . I'll . . . see you afterwards, then?"

She nodded, stuffing the last of her books into her bag. She rushed out of the classroom and let out another sigh of relief. That had been close.

_mwmwmwmw_

James watched her go, momentarily confused. If he didn't know better, he'd say that she was avoiding him . . . But why would SHE avoid HIM? It didn't make any sense. He was the one who said he needed space, not her. James shook his head and started down to the Great Hall.

He would NEVER understand Lily Evans.

_mwmwmwmw_

"Lily! Lily!" He called over the heads of the people blocking his way. He could see her heading towards the doors out of the Great Hall now. At least, he thought it was her. After all, who else had hair that exact shade of red? "LILY!" he yelled again.

Was it just him, or did she seem to speed up a little every time he called her name? He sighed, for the moment, giving up. Either she was ignoring him on purpose, (and he couldn't for the life of him, see why), or she honestly hadn't heard him. James didn't understand why she would ignore him, so he went with the second option.

He shrugged. He'd just have to meet up with her later in the common room, it seemed like.

After James had more or less seen all of the first years back to their Houses for the night, he exhaustedly climbed through his own portrait hole. He hadn't seen Lily since dinner, and didn't really expect her to be in the common room, either, so he was a little surprised to see her sitting at one of the tables with books all around her. Her head was a curtain of hair, and her face wasn't the least bit visible. However, her hand gripped a quill so tightly it seemed it would snap any moment, and she was scribbling furiously across a piece of parchment already covered with so much writing.

As much as he wanted to talk to her, had been dying to talk to her . . . he hesitated. She looked so busy. But . . . James set his jaw determinedly. What he wanted to say would only take a moment.

"Lily," he said. Immediately, her hand froze, and her head snapped up.

Her eyes clouded over with an emotion he couldn't identify. Was it worry, maybe? She didn't speak.

"Lily," he repeated.

Her name seemed to trigger something inside of her. Suddenly, she began to pack up her things, slamming every book and stuffing it into her bag. She rolled up her essay, sticking it into another side pocket.

"James, I just remembered," she said, her eyes going wide. "There's something I have to do! I knew I was forgetting – "

"Lily, whatever it is, I'm sure it can wait another second! I have to talk to you. Now," he said, persistently.

She shook her head and headed for the portrait hole. "I'm sorry, really I am, but this can't wait." She hurried away before he could say another word. "Later, James!"

James stamped the floor in frustration, oblivious to all of the first and second years giving him odd looks. Lily was definitely avoiding him. There was no doubt about it now.

_mwmwmwmw_

"Every time I try to say one little word to her, she jumps up and runs away!" James said, heatedly.

"Maybe it's a coincidence – " Peter started.

"No! Coincidental things don't happen three times in a row!" James snapped. "NO ONE can be that busy!"

Sirius shook his head. "She's definitely avoiding you."

"Thank you, genius," James retorted.

"Don't jump all over us, James," Remus said, softly. "We're only trying to – "

" – help. I know," James finished, tiredly. He gave them an apologetic look. "It's just . . . I'm so tired of this. I don't know why she won't just stop and let me talk to her. It'll only take a second! Honestly!"

"Maybe she's scared," Remus suggested. "Maybe she thinks you're going to reject her."

James started to shake his head, but Sirius interrupted. "You want my advice?" he asked. "I say you just go up and say whatever you have to say right to her face. Don't give her any time to make up an excuse to leave, just say it."

"I don't want to say it in front of people, though," James insisted. He began to turn red. "It's embarrassing."

Sirius rolled his eyes and Peter followed suit. "Oh, for the love of – "

Remus smiled, "No, he's right, you two. This is something he should do in private."

Sirius rolled his eyes again. "Fine, do what you want," he said, sourly. "But I still think public is the way to go."

"I'll use it as my last resort," James promised, grinning.

_mwmwmwmw_

Lily made sure she was the last one down to breakfast. She knew it was very out of character for her, and therefore, James wouldn't suspect it of her. Just in case he had gotten any ideas to ambush her at the table. She'd have to eat super fast, so her plan wouldn't backfire and he wouldn't catch her on the way out, either.

Her heart sank as she pushed the Great Hall doors open and spotted James and Company eating with Pat and Kat. Maybe she should've skipped breakfast altogether . . . She was seriously considering turning right back around when Sirius caught her eye and waved her over.

"Hey, Lily!" He said, scooting over on the bench to make a spot for her between him and James.

Lily's heart started pounding. How could she escape this? There had to be a way.

"No, thank you, Sirius," she said, flashing him a quick smile. "I actually just came over to grab a piece of toast."

"You're not staying?" Kat asked, surprised.

"No, I'm sorry. I have to look over my Charms essay once more before it's time to turn it in," Lily said, trying to sound apologetic. Great excuse! She marveled at how easy it was to think that one up.

"You mean the essays we were assigned YESTERDAY?" James finally spoke up. "You've FINISHED it? It's supposed to be twenty inches!"

"Mine's thirty-two," Lily said, quietly. Kat and Pat, who were quite used to this, exchanged amused glances, while James, Sirius, Peter, and Remus all stared at her in awe. She smiled. "I'll see you all in class."

She turned and walked away, trying not to beam. The looks on their faces had been wonderful, even though she knew no one liked a braggart. She had to be careful not to make it a habit, she thought, as she smiled again to herself.

_mwmwmwmw_

"I have to get her attention somehow!" James whispered to Sirius, later that night, long after Remus and Peter had gone to sleep.

Sirius mumbled something unintelligible.

"What?"

"I SAID, she's HeadGirl, right?" Sirius repeated.

James just stared at him.

Sirius let out a breath of frustration. "Honestly, Prongs! Do I have to do ALL of your thinking? She's HEAD-BLOODY-GIRL, isn't she? So why don't you do something in order to appeal to that side of her. Get her to pay attention to you through your work, or something. She's HeadGirl. You know how seriously she takes her job. She can't ignore you, then . . ."

"Sirius! You're brilliant!"

"I know," he said, yawning. "Now, go to sleep, will you?"

James pulled the covers over his head, grinning. What Sirius had said had given him the best idea ever.

It was chancy, VERY chancy, but for Lily, he'd have to risk it.

_mwmwmwmw_

A/N: wow! Writing this chapter gave me the BEST idea ever! I can't wait to write the next one! I promise you will all love it! You have to! And sadly, it will be my last chapter, cuz I really can't stretch this story out anymore . . . but it'll definitely go out with a bang! (and a rather unexpected plot twist cough cough) Yes, well . . . NEXT UPDATE COMING SOON!

Ariana S.


	17. squiggly

A/N: Snape makes a comeback! YAY! And OMG, I'm just short of 300 REVIEWS! does a happy dance I can't believe it! 299 REVIEWS! THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH!

Sweet Sarcasm: Me too!

PleaseExcuseTheOrneryPenguins: Thank you! I'm glad you still read mine!

livingdead2010: Thanks!

Jersey Princess: Glad you think so! Thank you!

Coco-Pop: Oh, he definitely gets her attention . . . tehe, you'll see! And thanks!

Luckyloo16: I hope you like it! Thanks! And I'm glad I decided to post again, too! Tehe.

Withered Quill: Well, I have another chapter after this one . . . lol. I thought it was going to be the end, but no, and WOW, since the beginning? Thank you so much! I'm glad you stuck with me! I definitely won't forget about this story again!

Lyss: Thank you! Always happy to recruit newcomers!

TenkunoMeiou: Tehe! More for you! Thanks!

Disclaimer: I own nothing, but the plot, a few characters, and a bad conscience . . .

Chapter Seventeen – Squiggly

_mwmwmwmw_

"Sirius! You're brilliant!"

"I know," he said, yawning. "Now, go to sleep, will you?"

James pulled the covers over his head, grinning. What Sirius had said had given him the best idea ever.

It was chancy, VERY chancy, but for Lily, he'd have to risk it.

_mwmwmwmw_

Severus Snape was angry. Evans was SUPPOSED to tell on Potter. Potter was SUPPOSED to be expelled by now. Severus was SUPPOSED to be HAPPY. Or something close to it, anyway, since a true Slytherin wouldn't be caught dead acting happy. Gleeful, maybe, but never downright happy.

However, Severus wasn't anywhere near happy. Or gleeful. Evans hadn't told on Potter. No one had been expelled. And Severus had gotten a note from Evans telling him to meet her in one of the courtyards of the school during lunch hour: the D.E.C.

Snape happened to know that this particular courtyard was a popular eating place for Gryffindors. They had nicknamed it the "Deck," due to the initials of the place. The long name term for it was the Double Entrance Courtyard, because it had two sets of magicked double doors. One set would take you where you most needed to be inside the school, and the other set would take you furthest from where you most needed to be. Both doors had their inconviences. Once, a student wanted to take a nap, but he NEEDED to be studying for a test, so the doors transported him to the library. Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs occasionally wandered out there, too. In short, it was no place for a lonely Slytherin, like himself, to be seen.

He scowled. Of course, Mudblood Evans wouldn't stop to think of that.

The only reason he had even agreed to meet her was because he instinctively knew this had to be about Potter. Why else would she want to talk to him? Their mutual hatred of Potter was the only thing they ever had in common. Until lately . . .

Severus pocketed his wand, and made to leave his dormitory. If he was going into a nest of happy-go-lucky Gryffindors, it was best to be armed.

_mwmwmwmw_

Lily sat underneath a tree, daydreaming, while her friends and Esther chattered on and on about nothing in particular.

" . . . cute arse! Right, Lily?" Pat said, nudging her.

"Huh?" Lily replied, vaguely. She had no idea whom they were talking about.

"Never mind," Patricia said, rolling her eyes in amusement, and slight annoyance. "She's in Potterworld again . . ."

The other girls snickered. Lily felt her face turning red, but she made no effort to reply. It was true. She was in what Patricia had deemed "Potterworld" again. It was the place she'd go to in her mind where no one existed, except her and James Potter, and where she could relive the kiss in the forest over and over again until someone made her snap out of it.

Lily was slightly ashamed to think that she was so gone over a guy, but . . . she WAS a 17 year old girl, and according to Esther, this was a thing that 17 year old girls did a lot - this fantasizing thing. For that matter, guys did it, too. Lily was sure she'd never seen books on the subject, but Esther seemed pretty certain in her justifications, so who was Lily to argue?

Sighing, she leaned her head back on the tree and closed her eyes letting the sunlight wash over her face. Except, there was no sunlight.

She opened her eyes, and was startled to see Severus Snape standing over her instead, blocking all efforts of sunlight. She jumped to her feet, sensing some kind of confrontation by the look on his face. He was clutching a piece of parchment in one fist, and his other hand hovered over where she was sure he had tucked his wand into his robes.

"Evans," he said, through clenched teeth.

Her friends had gone dead silent, as had everyone else in the courtyard. It wasn't a very large courtyard, after all, so everyone must have seen him enter and stalk over to her.

Lily blinked at him, wondering what had possibly drawn him out into the sunlight. Snape rarely went outside, and if he did, it was only to go to certain lessons like Herbology.

"Snape?" she answered in a questioning manner. She raised an eyebrow.

"What is the meaning of this?" he hissed, shoving the parchment into her hand.

Lily furrowed her forehead, and accepted the parchment in confusion. Quickly and silently she read the note to herself.

Snape,

Meet me outside in the Double Entrance Courtyard at lunch. We need to speak regarding the matter of James Potter, and why I've chosen not to report his behavior to the proper authorities. You know what matter I'm talking about. Be there.

Evans

She looked up to see Snape regarding her with a furious expression on her face.

"So, it's true, then?" he said, a muscle twitching in his jaw. "You're not going to report the miscreant?"

"Snape, maybe we should go somewhere else to discuss this," Lily said, quietly. She was very confused by the note because she hadn't sent it. But everything in it was true, except the fact that she wanted to talk to Snape.

"You're the one who wanted to meet here!" Snape said, looking outraged.

"Look, I don't know who sent that letter to you, but it wasn't me. It's true that I'm not going to report him, but – " Lily started.

"Why NOT?" Snape said, furiously. "You're Headgirl, aren't you? Isn't it your duty to report these kinds of things?"

Lily eyes flashed. If there was one thing she hated, it was being told how to do her job. "Five points from Slytherin for questioning authority!" she snapped.

"WHOSE authority?" Snape glowered.

"MINE!" Lily fiercely replied, struggling to keep her voice down. "I SUGGEST that we take this inside, Severus!"

Snape made no move to budge. He had a look of ultimate loathing on his face. "So, it's happened," he said, simply.

"What's happened?" Lily asked, confused at where the turn had been taken in the conversation.

He shot her a look of pure disgust. "You've fallen. For HIM."

Lily immediately felt her face heat up with humiliation. What could she say to that? It was true. She HAD fallen for James Potter. She couldn't think of any way to defend herself without sounding utterly lame and unable to stand up for herself.

"Perfect Headboy POTTER," Snape spat out. "Mudblood Evans's ultimate DOWNFALL in life!"

"THIRTY POINTS FROM SLYTHERIN!" A voice suddenly boomed from behind Lily. "FOR HARRASSING THE HEADGIRL!"

Lily whirled around, mortified. James WOULD pick this moment to heroically swoop in and save the bloody day. Merlin! He looked ready to spit nails. He even had his wand out. Sirius flanked his right side, and Peter nervously flanked his left, but Remus was nowhere to be seen.

"YOU WANT TO PLAY DIRTY, POTTER?" Lily heard from behind her. She turned around again to see Snape with his own wand out now. He looked positively wild with his eyes darting from James to Sirius to Peter, and back to James again.

"Do your worst," James said, boldly.

Lily's heart pounded. No. She could NOT let this happen. She was Headgirl. This was NOT going to happen.

"EXPELLI – !" Snape started to shout, but James beat him to it.

"SCOURGIFY!" James bellowed.

Pink soap bubbles erupted from Snape's mouth, choking him and making him gag.

"No!" Lily wanted to shout, but she couldn't. She was horrified. This was . . . This was just like . . . Just like before . . .

Snape dropped his wand, clutching at this throat.

"WINGARDIUM LEVIOSA!" Sirius shouted. Abruptly, Snape was lifted up into the air. Sirius twirled his wand, expertly, and in the air, Snape started to spin.

"Look!" Sirius said, chuckling. "He's like a bubble dispenser!" The spinning, bubble-choking Snape did indeed look like some grotesque version of a bubble dispenser.

The onlookers started laughing amongst themselves, while Lily just shook her head in shock.

Sirius jerked his wand, so that Snape fell to the ground, and the cleaning charm wore off. Snape immediately started to crawl for his wand, and James, seeing this, shouted, "LOCOMOTOR MORTIS!"

Snape keeled over, the laughter grew louder. Lily saw red, and heard a pounding in her ears. She faintly heard someone shouting, "Stop it! Stop it right now!" over and over, but the laughter drowned it out. She was vaguely aware that it was her doing the shouting.

Is this what she had been reduced to? Two years ago, she had been able to stop this. She had been able to stand up to bullying James Potter and his lackeys, but now . . . that she LIKED him . . . did that render her no longer unable to stand up to him . . . to what she believed in? Lily felt her eyes prickling with tears. She felt completely helpless and ashamed. If she yelled at him, he might not like her anymore. But allowing him to carry on with this was wrong . . . so very wrong . . .

_mwmwmwmw_

"Hm, I don't know what else to do to him, Prongs," Sirius said. "Can YOU think of anything?"

"Well, Padfoot, there's this excellent hex that I read about a while back. I think it's supposed to give you spots that make your skin shrivel up in certain places . . . Now, how did it go, again? Oh, yes, I think it was something like this!" James said, bringing up his wand.

"STOP IT! FOR THE LOVE OF MERLIN, JAMES, STOP IT!"

James froze, turning to the owner of the voice. Lily was staring at him, shaking in fury. Tears were streaming down her face, and her wand was drawn. And pointed at him.

"Lily, I – " he swallowed nervously, not knowing what to say. And the onlookers looked on.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" she yelled. "JUST _STOP_ IT!"

James's heart pounded. This was it. This was his chance. Just like before. Except, everything was different now. Wasn't it?

He swallowed again. He was mildly aware that he was shaking. And everything was so QUIET. James took a deep breath.

"I will . . ." he started nervously. "I will . . . if you go out with me . . . Lily." This silence had to be the loudest most deafening noise he had ever heard. "Go on . . . go out with me, and I'll never," he was whispering now, "I'll never lay a hand on him again. I promise."

_mwmwmwmw_

A/N: Okay, so I lied. That's not the last chapter. This next one will be the last chapter. Really. Please review.

Ariana S.


	18. wiggly

A/N: This is the last chapter, guys. A little angsty, yes, but you'll like it. And if you don't shrug thanks for reading anyways. :)

livingdead2010: Thank you! Thanks for reading!

The Big Dance: Wow, um, thanks! Yes, you find out in this chapter who sent the note. It's kinda insignificant, but eh, I don't know how to explain it. It's not really a big deal, I guess. But you do find out. Thanks again!

EmpressM: Haha, thanks! I lovelovelove Sirius, so I tried to make him as true to his clichéd character as possible without being clichéd myself. lol. If that makes any sense… Anyway, I'm glad you found him funny! Thanks!

dancingkeys164: Wow, really? Does that mean my chapters aren't long enough? Teehee. Just kidding. Here's more for you! And thanks!

oxymoronique: Thanks a lot!

Coco-Pop: I came up with the D.E.C. in a dream one night and thought "why not?" and added it to my story. I needed a public place where Severus could meet Lily so the confrontation could happen, but where no teachers were likely to show up. After all, we can't have Sirius and James in any trouble, can we? Especially when James is the Head Boy! Haha, thanks for reviewing!

Emerald Hazel: Thanks, I'm glad! Here's more!

Jersey Princess: Ha! I was contemplating making her just say yes to throw everyone off guard, but let's face it. That would be so Out Of Character for Lily to do… so instead… you'll see! Thanks for reading!

PleaseExcuseTheOrneryPenguins: eyes widen I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! Your four selves are kinda scary… Sorry again! Here's more! runs away

TenkunoMeiou: helps you up For your sanity, here's more!

Little One: Thanks, I'm glad you love it! More for you!

cylobaby: See, if we had more people around like you to tell James that, then he wouldn't have been in this mess in the first place… "Ten points to insert House here!"

anonymous: aw, I wish you had put a name… I like to know who I'm talking to, so I can thank them for reviewing my story. So I hope you get this and know who you are! Thanks for reviewing! And here's more!

Fairie Childe: LOL! Yay! (And then, after you a few more people reviewed and I ended up with 321!) I'm so happy! does a little dance Thanks for reviewing!

chikichiki: Here I am! I found myself! I'm back! Yay! Thanks for reviewing! Don't cry:)

Angelic Little Flower: Sorry! Here's more! Thanks!

PammaPoo: Of course I'll write another long fic! I don't know when, or what about, but I definitely will! I'm working on ideas right now! So don't worry! Be happy:) And thanks for reviewing!

Disclaimer: I own nothing that belongs to J.K. Rowling.

Chapter Eighteen – Wiggly

_mwmwmwmw_

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" she yelled. "JUST _STOP_ IT!"

James's heart pounded. This was it. This was his chance. Just like before. Except, everything was different now. Wasn't it?

He swallowed again. He was mildly aware that he was shaking. And everything was so QUIET. James took a deep breath.

"I will . . ." he started nervously. "I will . . . if you go out with me . . . Lily." This silence had to be the loudest most deafening noise he had ever heard. "Go on . . . go out with me, and I'll never," he was whispering now, "I'll never lay a hand on him again. I promise."

_mwmwmwmw_

Lily's was shaking with nerves, anger, apprehension, fear, and something else she couldn't quite put her finger on. There was a lump of something so huge stuck in her throat that she couldn't have said anything if she wanted to. She was mildly aware of tears cascading down her face in angry torrents, and largely aware that all eyes were on her.

Everyone was staring at her.

As if a light bulb had suddenly clicked on in her brain, a whole lot of things started to make sense at once. The letter, for one. James had written it… or Sirius. One of them had written it in order to get her and Snivelly out here. They had planned this confrontation.

_They had planned this._

"Lily…?" Kathryn whispered from somewhere on her right.

That did it.

Turning around, Lily suddenly sprinted towards the doors at the far end of the courtyard. She was so muddled that she had no clue which doors they were, the ones that would take her where she most needed to be, or the ones that would take her farthest from where she most needed to be. She really didn't care, much. She just knew that she wanted to be as far away from everyone as possible.

She burst through the doors, hearing shouts of worry and anger behind her. Immediately, a flash of light flooded through her body and the relocating spell found her at the entrance to the D.E.C. Great. Apparently, at the moment, it was where she most needed to be. She cursed, hating her rotten luck, and frantically looked around for somewhere to hide. She couldn't go back to the common room. Her dorm was the first place her friends would think to look for her, and besides, Lily thought miserably, depending on which doors they took, they might be transported to wherever she was, anyways, because in their minds they "most needed to be" wherever she was in order to comfort her.

There was suddenly another flash of light, and Lily quickly took a step back cursing herself again for not getting away fast enough.

"Lily!" a breathless voice said. Lily looked up. Potter. The last person she wanted to see right now.

_mwmwmwmw_

James stopped. He had no idea what to say now that he had caught up to her. As soon as she sprinted away, he was so shocked that he hadn't known what to do. However, quickly regaining his sense, he shouted at Sirius to "take care of Snape" and took off running after Lily, hoping against hope that he was going through the right set of doors.

She looked terrible. Her face was tear-streaked, and her eyes were scarlet. But at least she wasn't crying as much, anymore.

"Lily…" he said again, softer this time. James was getting really worried now. She wasn't saying anything, just standing there staring at the floor. "Lily!" He reached out to touch her arm, but before he made contact, she snatched her arm away, and jerked her head up, blinking furiously.

"_Don't touch me_," she hissed. "_Don't you _dare_ touch me_."

James's eyes widened in surprise. "Lily, I – "

"_Shut up_, James Potter!" she spat, viciously. "I don't even want to look at you right now!"

"L-Lily – "

"I SAID SHUT UP!" she shouted. Then, her eyes went wide, as if she was surprised at what she had just done, and she covered her mouth with her hands.

James didn't know what to do. She didn't want him to talk, so he wouldn't talk. Fine. But she didn't seem to be saying much of anything, either, and they couldn't just stand here. Eventually, someone would appear here looking for Lily, or James, or… James started. _No one would appear here_, he realized. James was here because he _needed_ to be. And he believed that he and Lily needed to be alone right now. So whoever tried to follow them would most likely be transported to the other side of the school. Genius.

She gave another sudden sob and slid down the wall until she was sitting down. She had drawn her knees up, and had wrapped her arms around them, refusing to look up at him.

James couldn't stand this. Regardless of what she wanted him to do he _had_ to say something. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I know that's probably the last thing you want to hear right now, but I'm so sorry. I didn't know how else to get you to talk to me. I wanted to… to ask you out, but… but you were avoiding me, and I had to get your attention somehow – "

"So you sent that note," she said, quietly, calmly.

James's turned bright red. He nodded, unable to get the words out. He suddenly felt very uncomfortable standing up, and sat down across from her, leaning against the opposite wall. _This hallway is awfully narrow_, he thought, absentmindedly. If both of them stuck their feet straight out, they'd be touching each other.

"I'm sorry I avoided you," she said. He looked up at her, and noted that she was now blushing. But she was looking at him. "I couldn't have made it easy for you," she continued, "but _honestly_, James, you couldn't think of _any_ other way to get my attention? At all?"

James shrugged, unable to think of anything to say.

"Because I've been plenty embarrassed before," Lily said, "but that was a whole new level of humiliation."

James had never felt worse, including that time in fifth year. Because this was so much worse. Evans had admitted that she _liked_ him! She had said it herself! He had been waiting for that moment ever since he'd laid eyes on her. And what had he done? Gone and mucked it all up. There was no way she'd ever even think about going out with him, now. He might as well just - "I'm sorry," he mumbled, miserably. "If you want, I'll just – "

"Don't you want to know why, Potter?" she said, staring at him. _Potter_. She was back to _Potter_. He couldn't discern the expression on her face.

"I… I suppose," he said. _Yes, please_, he thought, hollowly. _Tell me the reason why you never want to see me, again. Tell me how much you hate me, how much of a bloody prat I am_.

Her unblinking stare was starting to creep him out.

"Because, Potter, while you and Black were putting hex after hex on Severus, I was standing there silent. Trying to figure out how best to stop you. And then, you know what I realized?" Lily asked him. He shook his head, numbly. "I realized that I was _afraid_. Not afraid of you, or Sirius, or Severus, but I was afraid that if I tried to stop you that you wouldn't like me anymore. Because, as ashamed as I am to admit it, even when you were _torturing_ someone, it wasn't enough to make me stop liking you."

James stopped as she paused. He wasn't breathing now. _Does she… does she still…?_ He realized that he was too afraid to ask her.

"And so I thought I must be a horrible person," Lily continued. "Because after all, what decent person likes someone who tortures someone else _for fun_?"

"It wasn't for fun," James insisted.

"Right," Lily said, sarcastically. "I suppose it was meant to be romantic?"

James lowered his gaze to the floor again, now embarrassed beyond words. What had he been thinking?

"But wait, there's more," Lily said, speaking up again. "Because after I finally found my Gryffindor courage, and realized that I was still wearing a Head Girl badge, I yelled at you, and let me tell you there's nothing more scary that standing up to someone you like. I was sure that you wouldn't like me anymore. Positive, in fact. And then, you did something astounding. _You asked me out._"

James kept his eyes fixedly on the floor. He knew he was terrible. He knew he was horrible. But did she really have to repeat the whole horrendous ordeal? This was painful enough…

"Potter, that was the worst moment of my life," she whispered.

_Apparently, not that painful._

James felt an unfamiliar prickling behind his eyelids, and took a long shuddering breath, bringing his palms up to press against his eyes. He could not start crying right here, right now. Not in front of her.

"The worst moment of my life," she repeated in the softest voice he had ever heard her use. "There I was, thinking I had completely ruined any and all chances that I had with you, ever, and then you asked me out. I should have felt ecstatic, right? Elated, happy beyond happy. But I didn't, and do you know why, James?"

He shook his head, digging his palms even more painfully into his eyes.

"Because… I wanted to say yes."

_mwmwmwmw_

Lily kept her eyes open, and stared across the hallway at him. He was covering his face with his hands, she supposed, so he wouldn't have to look at her. Lily wasn't even sure if he had heard her last sentence, until he uncovered his face, and stared at her wonderingly. Lily started in surprise. He had been _crying_?

His hazel eyes met her emerald ones, hesitantly. "You… you still like me?" he said, hoarsely.

Lily nodded, no longer trusting her voice. She forced herself not to look away from him. It turned out to be a good thing. Because if she had looked away like she wanted to, she would have missed the wonderfully brilliant smile that spread across his face. Her heartbeat wouldn't have sped up, and she wouldn't have felt compelled to smile back.

Before she knew what was happening, he was on his feet and holding a hand out to her. Without any hesitation at all, she took it, and he swiftly pulled her to her feet. Their eyes met and Lily blushed, well aware that he was going to kiss her. She closed her eyes, and heard him whisper, "I've waited weeks to do this again…"

A powerful electrical sensation seemed to zip throughout her entire body, then his lips touched hers, something sparked, and she was on fire.

_mwmwmwmw_

A/N: Sigh. It's done. Finally. Don't ask for any more chapters because it's _done_. And I really don't want to write a sequel because I've never really been a fan of Post-Hogwarts. Just not my piece of cake. Thank you people for pushing and pushing and emailing me, and just plain being annoying as hell. Without you, I would have never finished it. Seriously.

Ariana S.


End file.
